Gintama - Sinister Arc
by HeroFiend
Summary: When cold-blooded killings surface in the capital of Edo, the Yorozuya Gin-chan find themselves tangled in the threads of a sinister web. Will the unlikely heroes triumph in the face of adversity; or will they fall to an influx of particularly sadistic entities? Chapter 14: Kagura's Yato blood takes over.
1. Prologue

**Genre: Drama/Mystery**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama or any of the characters.**

* * *

**Gintama: Sinister Arc**

* * *

"I'm late!" a middle-aged woman exclaimed after taking a quick glance at her wrist watch. "Daigorou-kun is still waiting for me to be home!"

She began to take swifter steps, almost to the point of sprinting. When she approached an inter-section, the woman found herself contemplating hastily. There was a secluded alleyway to her right that will ensure a faster trip, while the street in front of her will provide a sense of safety at the cost of precious time. Hurried and hassled, she took a deep breath and headed down the shady shortcut to her right.

"It will be fine…" the woman breathed softly, clearing the length of the path with rapid strides. "I will be out of here soon-"

The corner of her eye caught something out of the ordinary. Despite herself, she began to turn her head.

The woman's face paled. She slapped a hand to her mouth to staunch a rising wave of nausea. Her eyes dilated in sheer horror and fear.

Lying right in her sight was a dead body. The corpse's throat had been mercilessly ripped out.

A terrified scream permeated the air, only the first of many to erupt on that blood-shed day.

O O O

"Gin-san!" Shinpachi yelled, bursting into the apartment of the Yorozuya Gin-chan. "Something terrible has happened!"

A silver-haired samurai was lying on the sofa, utterly deadbeat.

"A terrible thing…? Were you forced to chug down even more of your sister's fried eggs?" he asked listlessly.

Shinpachi grabbed the remote control.

"That's terrible as well, but it's not the case this time. Look at the television, Gin-san!"

The relatively small television booted up with the press of a button. An image of a cross-dressing man flashed on the screen.

"Kabukicho's very own drag queen club has successfully reached its twentieth anniversary! As a celebration of this impressive milestone, entrance fees will be deducted by _eighty _percent! _Eighty _percent, folks! You can't get any better than that! So, come on down to the drag queen club and enjoy the company of feminine ladies to your hearts' content!" the TV blared.

"That's terrible, really terrible…" Gintoki commented slowly, his eye twitching relentlessly.

The channel was switched just as the cross-dressing man blew a kiss in front of the camera.

"That's also terrible…" Shinpachi said. He had instinctively cringed when the announcement was going on. "But this is worse- look, Gin-san!"

A well-dressed news reporter was gazing at the camera, his expression very much a sombre one.

"There has been another killing just a few minutes ago," he said. "If we could go live to Hanano Ana… Hanano Ana, if you will…"

The visuals flashed to a female reporter with two short pig-tails.

"Thank you," Hanano Ana said politely before expressing a serious gaze at the camera. "We are currently at the scene of the latest victim today. His body had been found just _ten _minutes ago in one of the narrow alleyways that spiral through Edo."

She paused and took a deep breath.

"According to forensic scientists," she continued tautly. "The victim had been impaled through the head with a metal rod. This act complies with the all the killings that had occurred today, driving the assumption that there is actually an insane serial killer loose right now to the point of being factual."

The female reporter looked set to continue the update of news, but suddenly averted her attention from the camera. The audio was set to a low volume while she engaged with a mysterious person off the camera. It took a relatively long while before she turned to the camera again.

"I'm sorry for the delay," Hanano Ana said apologetically. "We have received an urgent notice that whoever is able to end these killings will be rewarded handsomely by the Shogun himself-"

Shinpachi looked at his leader worriedly. Plain anxiety and fear clouded the teenager's face.

"Gin-san, who on earth is committing these senseless killings?" he asked hesitantly. "That one was the _ninth _today… This is not a simple murder case anymore. It's _genocide_!"

The silver-haired samurai picked his nose with his little finger, looking exceptionally calm and composed.

"Gin-san…" Shinpachi said softly. "What if… Ane-ue or any of our friends get…?"

His voice shook. It was clear that the very thought was plaguing his mind.

Gintoki sighed and got to his feet. Yawning loudly, he proceeded to perform some random stretching exercises.

"Get ready, Patsuan," he said.

Shinpachi looked up uncertainly.

"Get ready?" he repeated inquiringly.

The silver-haired samurai turned towards the bespectacled teenager, his face lit up in a wide, twisted grin.

"Get ready to claim that handsome reward, Patsuan."

O O O

"What's wrong with the people today…" a girl decked out in a Chinese _cheongsam _and a pair of covering-plated buns muttered. "They seem so scared and hurried, yup."

Kagura strolled past a frantic family; they were literally dashing through the street. One of them, a middle-aged woman, paused to look concernedly at her.

"What are you doing out here alone?" the woman questioned. "Where are your parents? Don't you know that it's dangerous to be out here right now?"

"Dangerous?" Kagura repeated curiously. "Why will it be dangerous to be out here?"

The woman gripped her by the shoulders tightly. Her face was a deathly pale.

"Haven't you heard?" the woman asked softly, staring right at Kagura's eyes. "There had been a lot of killings the past few hours. _All_ of them occurred in narrow alleyways-"

"Sekine! We got to go!" a man called, looking hastily around his surroundings. "We don't know when the killer will appear!"

The woman looked over her shoulder uncertainly, before turning back to a bemused Kagura.

"Anyways, return home as soon as possible," she said, a tight edge to her face. "It's not safe around here right now."

With that ominous warning, the woman vanished down the streets with her family. Kagura stared at their disappearing backs right to the end, a confused look on her face.

"Killer?" the Yato wondered. "It's not like I haven't seen them before…"

Lost in her own thoughts, she wandered around the area in confusing circles; _w__ay _too confusing circles. When she finally consented to recognize her own surroundings, she was in some sort of decrepit area. The streets seemed to have been left behind in her dazed wake.

The red head stopped in her tracks.

"Where am I?" Kagura pondered. "I totally forgot-"

The very air seemed to crackle. It dissipated as suddenly as it had occurred.

Kagura stared at her surroundings.

"Did I imagine that?" she mumbled uncertainly. "I'm pretty sure I heard the sound of sukonbu being fried, uh-huh."

The Yato paused for a while, before advancing forward.

"I should tell Gin-chan about the spooky killer," she said slowly. "It might wake his lazy ass up, uh-huh."

Breaking into a self-satisfied grin, Kagura looked straight ahead. Two figures were standing right at the end of the alleyway, their backs facing her. As she approached, she noticed that one of them had distinctive silver-permed hair while the other was wearing a light blue _keikogi_.

"Gin-chan, Shinpachi?" the girl thought momentarily. "What are they doing here?"

Curious, Kagura started taking faster strides.

"Gin-chan, Shinpachi!" she yelled, waving her right arm vigorously. "What are you doing here?"

Alerted by her call, the figures turned around.

"Gin-chan, Shinpachi!" Kagura gave a wide smile. "You will never believe what I just heard, uh-huh!"

Gintoki and Shinpachi looked at her impassively for a moment, before bursting into sardonic smiles.

"What's with those creepy smiles?" the Yato demanded. "Have you finally started to notice my charms-"

Blood spurted into the air. Dark, red liquid showered her as two figures crumpled to the ground.

Reeling in shock, Kagura could only remain still while those beloved faces smiled sardonically at her.

"Gin-chan…? Shinpachi…?" she whispered softly, her fists trembling uncontrollably.

Slowly, her mind went blank as everything spiralled out of control.

The Yato's anguished scream rang throughout the entire district as the decapitated heads of Sakata Gintoki and Shimura Shinpachi gazed morbidly at her from the ground.


	2. Chapter 1: A Disembodied Voice

**Genre: Drama/Mystery**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama or any of the characters.**

* * *

**Gintama: Sinister Arc**

* * *

Kagura screamed for a long time. Tears flowed from her eyes, leaking onto her milky-white cheeks and cascading to the ground. The very atmosphere seemed to be compressing on her, whispering malicious remarks as it did so.

_Open your eyes. See those lifeless eyes with your own. You can't escape it. You can't escape reality, no matter how hard you cry…_

The Yato did not want to open her eyes. She did not want to see those lifeless eyes. Above all, she wanted to escape reality, to get away from the harsh fact that there was only one person left in the Yorozuya Gin-chan. If she submitted to the faceless taunts, everything will come crashing down. She will revert to her original state when she had not encountered those two. She will be poor, hungry and _lonely _again.

_Open your eyes. You can't escape reality. It will be futile to try to escape it. It's invincible, solid and ruthlessly cruel. It is useless to go against it._

Kagura, traumatized by the horrifying sight she had just witnessed, heard the persuasiveness in those mutterings and subconsciously bit her lips. She wanted to seek solace in something. Anything will be fine. She just wanted to cry on a shoulder, to hear kind words of comfort from somebody and be petted on the head in a warm fashion.

_Open your eyes, Kagura-chan._

The Yato's eyes blinked open instantly; the flow of tears was abruptly disrupted. She knew she must have imagined it, but she did not care. She just wanted to hear those words again, to hear the useless silver-haired samurai speak in his droning fashion once again. The bloodless face lying on the ground meant naught to her. As far as she was concerned, a dead person cannot talk. If his voice was still present, it must mean that he wasn't dead. The head must be some kind of a twisted joke; a horribly realistic and sadistic joke.

"Gin-chan?" Kagura whispered hesitantly. She gazed around her surroundings, hoping against hope for the silver-haired samurai to turn up around a corner, picking his nose nonchalantly as usual. The decapitated head of Sakata Gintoki seemed to stare at her accusingly from the ground, berating her silently for ignoring the reality right before her eyes. Despite her tentative and hopeful whisper, nothing occurred. Nobody stepped out from a tiny space to face her.

"Gin-chan? Where are you?" Kagura questioned aimlessly. "Come out!"

Her pine proved futile as the alleyway remained empty. Nothing stirred; the very air appeared to have stilled. It was as if the entire world has ceased revolving on its axis. For all Kagura knows, it might really have slowed to a stop.

Despair wrecked the Yato's small figure as she submitted to the harsh lashings of reality. Crumpling onto her knees, she clutched her face with a pair of small hands as tears began to flow. Her sobs reverberated around the cramped alleyway, laced with grief and lament.

"Come out…" she spluttered pleadingly. "Natural perm… Glasses…"

A whisper carried though the silent air.

_Do you want to know where I am, Kagura-chan?_

Her eyes fluttered open despite herself. Nodding rapidly, Kagura turned her head, trying to recognize the direction that the voice was flowing from. It was impossible to trace the origin, though. The words seemed to have streamed from _every _direction. Gulping, she waited tentatively.

_If you want to see me, you will have to do as I say. Nod once if you understand my sentence._

Kagura bit her lips and inclined her head in a slight forward motion. It did not occur to her to doubt the words of the disembodied voice. She just wanted to see the silver-haired samurai alive and grinning again. Nothing else matters.

_Look at the ground, Kagura-chan. You will see some scrappy items lying on it. Pick one of them off the ground._

The Yato followed the disembodied voice's instruction compliantly. She gazed at the grimy floor path, settled her teary ocean blue eyes on a half-broken metal ruler and proceeded to reach for it with a hand, bending down as she did so. Once the ruler was firmly held in her grip, she stood upright again and stared blankly into the sky.

"What do I do now, Gin-chan?" Kagura questioned softly. "I did what you said. Can I see you now?"

There was a brief, contemplating pause.

_Not yet, Kagura-chan. You will have to do one last thing for me. Once you finish it, you will be able to see me._

Kagura waited with bated breath, sheer anticipation overwhelming her. Unknowingly, her tears have receded into her flurry eyelids.

"What is it, Gin-chan?" she breathed. "I will do anything!"

When the disembodied voice consented to speak again, it was with a distinctive mocking tone.

_Really? You will do anything to see me?_

The unwary Yato nodded her head furiously. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her pupils reflected pure intensity. It was clear that she stood by her words with a vigorous air.

_Very well, I will tell you what you have to do right now._

For a moment, there seemed to be a _humorous _edge to the disembodied voice's words. It was as if the entire situation was _funny_ to it. This should have been a warning in itself, but the Yato was so lost in concentration that she didn't pay heed to the tone. Gazing doggedly ahead, she simply waited for the decisive words that will amend the entire situation. If she had just chanced a glance at the ground at that very moment, she will have noticed that the heads of Sakata Gintoki and Shimura Shinpachi were conspicuously missing from the dirty floor path. Their crumpled bodies have also vanished into thin air, all without a single sound or movement.

When the final instructions came, the Yato felt her blood run cold.

_Take that scrap of metal and shove it through your throat._

The words seemed surreal. The fact that her beloved Gin-chan had uttered them in such a casual tone just makes it even more bizarre. There was no way that the silver-haired samurai will ever make such a ludicrous request, not even if he washes out on the doorstep of the _P__achinko_, totally naked. Everything went haywire in the young girl's mind. It was as if animals have started to talk comprehensibly, cold-blooded murderers were actually operating for justice and heroes were simply egoistic maniacs.

Clutching her head in her hands, Kagura crumpled onto her knees once again, this time not in irrepressible grief but with one hell of a confused mind instead.

"What's going on…?" she muttered softly, staring at the cold, hard ground in disbelief. "Why is Gin-chan asking me to kill myself? This doesn't make any sense…"

The Yato blinked.

"Shinpachi…" she murmured. "Surely the straight man will step out and start ranting about this whole ridiculous setup…"

With those hopeful words, she averted her gaze from the ground. The brief moment of respite vaporized instantly. There was nobody to be seen.

Kagura stared blankly at a dusty, concrete wall to her right. If Shinpachi wasn't here to disclaim the entire act, it must mean that Gin-chan meant his words when he had disclosed them. Even if the silver-haired samurai sounded insane and dangerously sadistic, it's an undeniable fact that he had always triumphed in the face of crazy and perilous situations. There wasn't any valid reason to go against him, was there?

Hardly daring to believe what she was doing, the Yato held the seemingly useless metal ruler to her throat. If she did it correctly, one sharp push will allow her to see the silver-haired samurai again. Perhaps, just perhaps… she could see her long-dead mummy as well.

"Mummy, Gin-chan, Shinpachi," Kagura breathed, closing her eyes. "I will be coming to join you soon, yup. Don't eat my share of _sukonbu _until I'm there!"

She took one last deep breath, adjusted the position of the ruler and jerked it forcefully in her own direction.

Kagura opened her eyes slowly. The ruler wasn't making any progress in its onslaught, even though she was propelling it with all the force she could muster. A closer look told her that a hand was stopping the ruler in its tracks. The hand wasn't hers, though.

Turning her head slowly, she saw a silver-haired samurai gritting his teeth in concentration.

"What…" Sakata Gintoki hissed through his teeth. "Do you think you are doing?"

O O O

_Twenty minutes ago…_

"Gin-san," Shinpachi spluttered. "This is crazy! The killer could be _anywhere _in Edo! How do we find him? It's like trying to find a nail in an entire haystack!"

The silver-haired samurai snorted, sauntering through the deserted streets of Kabukicho nonchalantly.

"We will just have to make the nail bigger than the haystack," Gintoki replied. "It won't be much of a problem then."

"How could that even happen?" Shinpachi blustered. "It's impossible!"

Gintoki fended off his protestations with a wave.

"Don't worry, Patsuan. We just have to find some pubic hair or something that once belonged to the twisted murderer, shove it in Sadaharu's nose and the horny mutt will be leading us to a whole year of chocolate parfaits. It can't get any easier than that, really."

The bespectacled teenager stared at him disbelievingly.

"Just how optimistic are you?" Shinpachi demanded. "Even the police are having trouble finding the perpetrator! It won't be that _easy _at all!"

There was a slight contemplative pause.

"We won't know until we try, Shinpachi-kun," Gintoki picked his nose and flicked a booger to the side. "If we give up even before we start on it, we will never know the upshot of the whole thing."

The bespectacled teenager did not offer any words in return. When the silver-haired samurai enters lecture mode, his sayings tend to draw the listeners in. Right now, Shinpachi was finding himself in gradual agreement with Gintoki's plan, no matter how ludicrous it actually was.

"Even so," Shinpachi said. "Where do we start the search from? The scenes of murder have been sealed by the police. We can't just walk in and retrieve a pubic hair or two, can we?"

Gintoki halted in his tracks. The bespectacled teenager, who had been following closely behind, nearly crashed into the silver-haired samurai's broad back.

"Why did you stop?" Shinpachi inquired, trying to find a stable footing on the ground. "Did you see something?"

The silver-haired samurai was strangely quiet. He was stoic and still, the very picture of a man trying to focus on something miniscule.

"Did you hear that?" Gintoki said, tone taking a serious turn.

Shinpachi was utterly clueless. After shaking his head vigorously, Gintoki gazed around the streets.

"Shinpachi-kun," the silver-haired samurai said clearly, his eyebrows descended in a serious fashion. "Search for Kagura-chan, fast."

"Kagura-chan?" Shinpachi inquired hesitantly. "Why? Did something happen to her? Now that I think about it, she's still roaming around in the streets, isn't she- Gin-san!"

"No time for questions, Patsuan," Gintoki called over his shoulder as he sprinted. "The search holds priority right now!"

With that, the silver-haired samurai disappeared from view, leaving an utterly confused Shinpachi behind. The bespectacled teenager shook his head, furrowed his eyebrows and began to probe the streets.

O O O

Meanwhile, Gintoki had sprinted quite a distance. To his credit, he was barely panting for breath, searching all the corners rapidly as he advanced.

"That shrill scream…" the silver-haired samurai thought grimly. "Only that idiot will be able to scream with such a thick china accent, geez."

He increased his speed, eyes darting around anxiously. The Yato might be invincible in combat, but the fact remains that they are still vulnerable to death. His own victory over Hosen had been one prime example. If humans could triumph over the Yato, there will surely be even more formidable enemies that could threaten the universe's strongest race. Add the recent sadistic killings and Kagura's _desperate _scream to the equation and something is _definitely _wrong.

"Damn it…" Gintoki muttered reproachfully. "I shouldn't have let her out earlier on. If I had known about those damn killings just a bit earlier, I will _never _have let her step out of the apartment-"

He halted in his tracks again.

"Killings?" he murmured softly. "Where did the killings occur?"

_"Thank you," Hanano Ana said politely before expressing a serious gaze at the camera. "We are currently at the scene of the latest victim today. His body had been found just __ten __minutes ago in one of the narrow alleyways that spiral through Edo."_

"Narrow alleyways… the killings have been especially rampant in those shady shortcuts…" Gintoki mumbled. He looked around and inadvertently slapped a hand to his forehead.

"Damn it, I'm focusing on the wrong places," he hissed as he began to move again. "Instead of combing the streets like an idiot, I should be scanning the murder scenes themselves, shouldn't I? Damn it."

After verifying the emptiness of several areas, even the silver-haired samurai's superb endurance was running out fast. He gritted his teeth as he moved in search of the next one, puffing uncontrollably.

"Damn it…" Gintoki huffed irritably. "I should have abstained from the excessive parfaits when I had the chance. My stamina is dropping like a rock because of those devils-"

He paused. There was something wrong with the atmosphere ahead. It was almost as if the air had _ceased _to move. Getting his mind back on track, the silver-haired samurai took long and rapid strides forward, finally coming to a stop right outside a particularly secluded alleyway. Peeking around the corner, his eyes widened. A girl was at the far end of the alleyway, staring at a concrete wall.

"That idiot…" Gintoki muttered, entering the secluded area with a slight grin on his face. A sense of relief had passed over him at the sight of the Yato, no matter how reluctant he was to admit it. "What's she doing here-"

The silver-haired samurai furrowed his eyebrows and sprinted as hard as he could. Something was wrong with Kagura. She seemed to be listless, and something was in her hand. Worst of all, she was directing that particular something against her own throat.

"Kagura!" Gintoki yelled, racing against time. "What are you doing?"

It was futile. The silver-haired samurai gritted his teeth when he realized her failure to hear his call. There was _definitely _something wrong with her.

Kagura looks poised to… plunge that thing into her own throat. Gintoki tried to reach an even higher speed, but years of slacking have ultimately taken their toll.

"Damn it…" he hissed desperately. "I swear I will start those boring training exercises if I ever get that idiot back alive-"

The Yato jerked her arm back. With a final lurch, the silver-haired samurai burst forward, his outstretched arm reaching for her own.

He barely managed to obstruct her suicidal attempt. His fist firmly closed over her propelling arm, Gintoki had to muster every single tendon of his body to even keep her at bay. Any slight deviations and Kagura will be dead where she stood.

The Yato slowly turned her head towards him, her red and puffy eyes widening in blatant disbelief and surprise. That idiot had been _crying_ for some unknown reason.

"What…" Gintoki hissed forcefully. "Do you think you are doing?"


	3. Chapter 2: A Delusional Reality

**Genre: Drama/Mystery**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama or any of the characters.**

* * *

**Gintama: Sinister Arc**

* * *

"What…" Sakata Gintoki hissed through his teeth. "Do you think you are doing?"

Kagura could hardly believe her eyes. The silver-haired samurai was right in her sights, panting heavily with an intense look on his face. It was as if the gruesome decapitation had never occurred. It was as if his eyes had never stared at her from the ground, lifeless and bloodless. Everything seemed to have clicked back into place, just as it was before.

Her grip began to slacken. There was no reason to commit suicide if the silver-haired samurai was alive and well, was there? She could still afford to live for a longer period of time, couldn't she? Even if the Yato blood in her wreaks havoc and causes her demise in the distant future, she could still enjoy the bittersweet taste of life right to the end, alongside Gin-chan and Shinpachi…

She cracked. Every single emotion that had ravaged her for the last fifteen minutes finally broke her.

"Gin-chan!" Kagura shouted desperately, the metal ruler hung loosely in her fist. Without any hesitation, Gintoki whipped the broken piece of metal from her grip. The metal ruler fell to the ground with a resounding _clang_.

Disarmed, the Yato subsided into uncontrollable sobs. The silver-haired samurai's eyebrows were descended as he took the grief-stricken girl into his arms.

"You were dead…" Kagura spluttered, her face buried deeply in Gintoki's torso. "Shinpachi was dead…"

Gintoki petted her head gently as he gazed around the narrow alleyway stoically. There was a breeze in the air that was definitely non-existent just a while ago. _Something _had happened in this secluded area. _Something _must have happened in order to provoke such strong emotions from the usually cheery and grinning girl. There was a cold edge to the silver-haired samurai's eyes as he breathed.

"I have never lusted for the blood of anybody before," Gintoki thought coldly. "But if I ever discover the identity of the person who made this idiot cry…"

He whispered a few words that were muffled by a sudden gust of wind.

O O O

"I wonder if Gin-san has found Kagura-chan…" Shinpachi scratched his head as he roamed through the streets. "After hearing the urgency in his voice, I'm kind of worried about her right now…"

The place was distinctly deserted. Shops were already closed for the day and stragglers went about in a hasty and wary fashion. The gruesome killings have really shaken up the entire capital of Edo; even the infamous red-light district of Kabukicho had been rendered fearful and cautious. Shinpachi had never experienced such a heavy atmosphere in the district before. It was as if Death itself has arrived, threatening to cull anyone in its way with its monstrous scythe.

The bespectacled teenager was alert as he travelled down the streets, taking care not to miss any detail. However, after fifteen minutes of non-stop searching, his eyes were beginning to lose some of their focus.

"What if Kagura-chan is already at the office…?" Shinpachi muttered hesitantly. "I will just be wasting my time here if that's the case! If only I could contact Gin-san… this is one of the rare occasions that I really wish I had a cell phone…"

Sighing, he looked straight ahead. Almost covering the entire length of the street, he was beginning to think that it was just another wasted trip when something caught the corner of his eye. The bespectacled teenager took a few steps back and chanced a glance into an inconspicuous alleyway. A girl decked out in a red _cheongsam _and a pair of ornament-plated buns on her head was conversing with a silver-haired figure at the end of the alleyway.

"What's this…?" Shinpachi could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. "It turns out that she was fine after all, wasn't she?"

The bespectacled teenager began to walk towards them, grinning from ear to ear as he advanced. If he had retained his alertness, he will have noticed that there was no wind in the area. In fact, the very air seemed to have _stilled_. However, lost in a sense of elation, he failed to take note of it.

"Gin-san!" Shinpachi called. "Kagura-chan! Let's go-"

The remaining words were stuck in his throat. His eyes widened; his face turned pale. The sight unfolding before him was just so _wrong _that he did not know what to do. Should he shout? Will that help? He didn't know. All he could do was stare blankly with a rising sense of dread.

At the end of the alleyway, the girl had her parasol directed against the throat of the silver-haired samurai.

Shinpachi's eyes dilated in confusion and fear. His mind raced rapidly, fuelled by all sorts of helpless delusions. Was it just a joke? It was just a joke, wasn't it? Kagura-chan will never point her own weapon against Gin-san, after all. This had to be some sort of twisted prank, right? If he just walked towards them, they will surely hop at him and cry," You got pranked!" Yes, that must be it!

Gulping nervously, the bespectacled teenager started to walk towards them. They were slow steps at the start, but soon generated into fast, long strides. Despite every internal excuse he had given, Kagura-chan will _never_ do that to Gin-san. Something was dangerously wrong here.

"Kagura-chan!" Shinpachi yelled. "What are you doing-"

He froze as the girl lunged forward with her parasol. There was a spurt of blood as the silver-haired samurai clasped his impaled throat with both hands, trying desperately to staunch the blood flow. Even as the samurai struggled to retain his footing, the girl stabbed him multiple times in the body, even slicing off his arms for good measure. Dense, red liquid showered the air generously, drenching the Yato's already _red _attire.

When Sakata Gintoki finally fell to the ground, his eyes seemed to meet the stunned gaze of Shinpachi's at the very last second. There was no hate or anger in the silver-haired samurai's eyes; there was only lamentation and resignation. With a flourish, the Yato brought her parasol down and sent the silver-haired samurai's head flying to the air.

The very world itself seemed to slow to a halt. Shinpachi's mind went totally blank. He did not even register the fact that Kagura was dismembering the rest of Gintoki's crumpled body with gusto. Everything was in shambles and pieces as far as he was concerned. He felt sure that if the world came crashing down at that very moment, he will be pretty indifferent to it. After all, if Kagura-chan could afford to kill her beloved Gin-san in such a flippant fashion, it must mean that the world was facing its imminent destruction. There was no other explanation, really.

The bespectacled teenager stared listlessly as Kagura began to laugh, her eyes clearly contracted into twisted slits. Those were the eyes that she had when facing off against Abuto. However, even this fact seemed to do naught for his interest. He just wanted everything to end on the spot; he could not take it anymore.

"Kagura-chan! What are you doing?" a familiar voice sounded.

Despite himself, Shinpachi slowly turned his head. The voice was exceptionally familiar, and he knew why. It was the voice of his sister, after all. His sister had turned up at the other side of the alleyway for some reason, looking at the gruesome sight on the ground with a nauseated expression on her face.

He wanted to scream in anguish, to yell in despair, and above all, cry at her to stay back from the mentally insane Yato. Everything was swiftly diminished by his mind, though. If the world was going to end, one more death did not matter, did it?

He watched impassively as Kagura sent a shocked Otae to the air with a sweep of her parasol. As his sister gradually descended, the Yato was there, grinning insanely. Otae hung in mid-air, lifeless, as the parasol penetrated her chest from below.

Shinpachi could not control his limbs anymore. He crumpled onto the ground with a _thud_. He felt salty tear tracks running down his cheeks, but he did not know why. He felt his heart bursting so hard that it was threatening to burst, but he did not know why. Nothing made any sense. Everything was surreal. He just wanted everything to end right there and then. The pressure was stifling, compressing him from within and crushing him. It was so painful, but he did not know why.

The bespectacled teenager looked up as footsteps approached. Kagura was looming over him, her twisted grin decorated with speckles of blood that wasn't hers. Her parasol hung right over him.

"Ready to die, Shinpachi?" the Yato inquired. "We will all be in the same world soon. You, me, Anego, Mummy and Gin-chan, yup. We will be one big, happy family!"

She smiled at her own words.

Shinpachi stared at her blankly as the Yato's parasol began to descend upon him. Finally, everything was going to end. He will be dismembered beyond recognition, but at least he won't remember it. Hopefully, the deaths of Gin-san and Ane-ue will be erased from his mind as well. If they stayed in his mind, he will just go insane in the afterlife as well. With that thought, he gave a tired sigh and closed his eyes.

Everything faded to black.

O O O

Hijikata Toshiro, the demonic vice-commander of the Shinsengumi, was patrolling the streets of Kabukicho with a disgruntled air. Even the cigarette protruding from his mouth did not serve to alleviate his sense of irritation by much.

"Honestly," he took a long puff, a vein throbbing at his forehead. "How could they force the vice-commander to stay at the side lines? Seriously..."

"_Alright," Toshiro had proclaimed to the entire Shinsengumi squad. "There were supposedly sightings of elusive figures in the north area of Edo. It sounds suspicious, but it's still the most credible lead we have so far."_

_He had cleared his throat._

"_We will be dispatching the first three divisions to verify the authenticity of the sightings," he had continued. "On this mission, I will lead-"_

"_Wait, Toshi," the commander of the Shinsengumi, Kondo Isao, had intervened. "You will not be leading this mission. In fact, you won't be going there at all."_

_Toshiro had turned to his commander brusquely. _

"_Why, Kondo-san?" he had demanded. "It's the best lead we have! We will need all the forces in our disposal if the perpetrators are really there!"_

_Kondo, sensing Toshiro's rebellious emotions, had raised a hand in response._

"_Wait, Toshi," the commander had said. His eyes were furrowed in an intense gaze. "Listen to me. This mission might need the best swords in our squad, but we can't possibly leave the other areas vacated as a result. What if the lead proved to be false? What if the killers chose that moment to commit more audacious murders in other areas?"_

_Toshiro had tried to protest, but was swiftly cut off._

"_You will be in charge of Kabukicho, Toshi," the commander had decided firmly. "There was a small lead that the killers might actually be there. You will patrol the area there with the fourth division."_

_Kondo's expression was resolute. Toshiro knew not to protest any further. Any further insubordination will only lead to seppuku, and an additional gruesome death will hardly help._

The vice-commander took another long puff from his cigarette, gazing around the streets observantly as he walked. The place was practically deserted, with only a few scurrying figures rushing along warily.

"At least these idiots are smart enough to stay at home," he muttered. "If there are any more deaths, the Shinsengumi will have to be disbanded sooner or later. The Mimawarigumi will surely push all the blame to us."

Toshiro took one last puff of his finished cigarette and threw it inside a disposal bin. Grunting, he continued on his patrol down the streets. It got repetitive after a while. In fact, every single step he took just served to increase all his pent-up frustration even more.

"Why do I need to take care of Kabukicho?" he snapped, voicing his irritation aloud. Neighbouring stragglers jumped at the sudden outburst, increasing their already rapid speed by a considerable extent. "Even if those sadistic murderers want to go psycho, they won't do it in this god-forsaken place, will they? This is a district known for its hard core criminals, for goodness sake!"

Unable to take it anymore, the vice-commander withdrew a packet of cigarettes from his pocket, took one of it from the casing, stashed the packet back in his pocket, lighted up the cigarette and began to take long puffs again. Slightly mollified, Toshiro exhaled a steady stream of smoke. As he did so, something caught his keen eye.

"That area looks weird…" he murmured. "It's as if… the air currents from the differing spots are _repulsing _each other…"

Interest piqued, the vice-commander took long strides, closing the gap between them in a matter of seconds. He slowed to a stop as he approached a narrow alleyway, placing a hand on a concrete brick as he observed the flow of the wind. There was no mistake about it. The wind was operating normally in open space, but for some reason, it was being repelled from the area in the narrow alleyway. Something was definitely up with this particular area.

Toshiro rested a hand on his sheathed _katana_ as he walked into the narrow alleyway. The sudden difference in atmosphere did not escape his attention.

"The air seems to be _still _here…" he breathed, staring at a composite spot in the atmosphere. "How could it be-"

Toshiro averted his gaze. Almost instantly, he instinctively drew his sword from its sheath. Someone was lying on the ground, face-first and motionless, but that wasn't the provocative part. A hooded person was crouched over the crumpled figure on the ground, a dagger held threateningly above the head.

The vice-commander gritted his teeth and charged. With a crashing feeling in his gut, he realised that he wasn't going to make it. The dagger was already in a plunging motion.

Furrowing his eyebrows, he let go of his _katana _and dived forward, arms outstretched in a diving sequence. The next second, intense pain shot through his right hand as the dagger lodged itself. Snarling, the vice-commander looked up to see a figure leaping onto the roof. Before he knew it, the hooded assassin was gone from his sights.

"Tch, he escaped," Toshiro spat on the ground. "What a coward."

Straightening up, Toshiro proceeded to check on the unconscious figure lying on the ground. He subconsciously buried his injured hand in his shirt as he did so.

"Hey, you alright?" the vice-commander inquired, shifting to get a closer look. "Why are you here-"

He inadvertently paused in his question, a flicker of recognition flashing through his eyes.

"Aren't you part of the Yorozuya? What are you doing here?"

* * *

**A/N: I think that was the darkest piece of story I have ever done. I actually flinched at certain parts!**


	4. Chapter 3: Trauma

**Genre: Drama/Mystery**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama or any of the characters.**

* * *

**Gintama: Sinister Arc**

* * *

The vice-commander of the Shinsengumi was impassive as he knelt over the unconscious figure of Shimura Shinpachi. There was a deathly pale tinge to the bespectacled teenager's complexion, with stale tear tracks lining the cheeks. Toshiro did not know the exact details, but something was evidently wrong with the entire situation. Everything from the abnormal air pressure in the immediate area to the boy's questionable disposition to the mysterious hooded figure who had tried to assassinate an utterly helpless person reeked of _suspicious_.

Toshiro instinctively made a puffing motion with his mouth, but there was no cigarette to drawl from. Turning around, he spotted a half-finished stick of cigarette lying on the ground. It must have slipped out of his mouth when he lunged at the hooded figure. Sighing gruffly, he reached into his pocket with his left hand and proceeded to draw yet another cigarette. The vice-commander has always regarded the nicotine-filled stick in a reverent aspect whenever he needed to get his brain working.

Taking a long puff, he exhaled a steady stream of smoke with a contented sigh. Satisfied, he reverted to the situation at hand. All the killings have been committed in a gruesome fashion. The victims were either stabbed through the throats, or impaled in the heads. Now that he thought about it, exactly _half _of the killings so far leant in the former, while the other _half _was the latter. It was almost as if the assassinations have been properly _proportionated_.

Come to think of it, the slaughters tended to be spread out as well. There were no more than two killings in every area or district, and the killers made sure not to revisit them. It was a prime rationale that justified Toshiro's extreme reluctance in patrolling Kabukicho; the very first killing had occurred in the red-light district itself. There was no plausible reason why the perpetrators will haunt Kabukicho again if that rationale stuck true.

The vice-commander took another long puff, a faraway look in his eyes. Was he wrong after all? Were the criminals really lurking in the red-light district? He had thought that they will never return to their ravaged areas, but this latest incident proved to be otherwise. In fact, there was something suspicious about Kabukicho at the very start. It was the only area to have sustained a single manslaughter, while the rest of the areas all suffered a pair of twisted deaths each. He had dismissed it as a mere coincidence there and then, but it might just have been rigged. Perhaps the killers have planned to revisit Kabukicho right from the start, deliberately lulling the police force into a false sense of security so that it will be easier for them to carry out the murders. If that was really the case, the perpetrators weren't just twisted murderers after blood. They were _intelligent _and twisted murderers baying for blood.

Toshiro contemplated for a moment. Why was Kabukicho the only district to have been revisited? What was their motive? What were their intentions? What do they hope to achieve by all these senseless murders?

Toshiro scooped the bespectacled teenager into his arms, taking care not to apply excessive force on his right hand in the process and stood up. Hapless pondering wasn't going to help in this entire situation; cold, hard truths matter. He will just have to escort the boy to the Shinsengumi headquarters and question him. It might prove relentless to the evidently traumatised boy, but for the sake of preventing any further deaths, he will have to be cold-hearted about it. It was the forte of the demonic vice-commander, after all, even if he has to disregard his clenching heart to do so.

O O O

In the office of the Yorozuya Gin-chan, there was a young girl perched on the edge of the sofa. She might have been known as a brutish, ridiculously powerful, nose-picking, cheerful and smiling Yato, with the more than appropriate name of Kagura, but that was all in the past. Sakata Gintoki, seated on the sofa next to her, could only see a shivering and mumbling husk that seemed as vulnerable as a new born baby. He clenched his fists, watching her with a protruding sense of helplessness. Even after all the reassuring that he and Shinpachi were alive and well, Kagura had refused to take in his words. She had persisted in repeating the same words over and over again, her own face paling even further in turn.

"You were dead…" she will keep muttering blankly. "Shinpachi was dead…"

Thereafter, the Yato will look up and stare at him in disbelief. A brief exclamation of relief will always be followed up by a desperate plea for Shinpachi's whereabouts. The silver-haired samurai will tell her softly that they were both safe and sound, where the Yato will shake her head relentlessly and retreat into herself. A while later, the entire heart-wrenching cycle repeats.

Gintoki knew that he might have been some sort of a fatherly figure to the young girl, but the fact remains that he was inexperienced when it comes to things like this. He might be able to pet her head, speak some crap to her, watch the television with her and protect her from evil space aliens, but it doesn't serve to ease the pain of an anguished girl in the end. What Kagura needed right now was the calm presence of her real father. If that old, bald idiot had not been battling aliens like some Rambo in outer space, Gintoki was sure that he will be able to get the girl back to her original disposition.

The Yato seemed to stir from her daze.

"You were dead…" she murmured. "Shinpachi was dead…"

Looking up, she saw the stoic figure of a silver-haired samurai next to her. Her face exhibited sheer disbelief.

"Gin-chan!" the Yato cried, as if she was seeing him for the first time.

Gintoki looked at her, his face cracking into a smile. His heart felt like it was breaking, but he persisted. There was no point adding even more grief to the situation, was there?

Kagura gave a wide grin. It slowly subsided, replaced by a fearful look on her face.

"Where's Shinpachi?" she asked, petrified. "I saw him-"

The Yato's eyes widened. The vessels seemed to contract, creating a bloodshot impression.

"Dead…" she whispered softly. "Your heads flew off… you were staring at me…"

Gintoki gripped her shoulders and forced her to look at him in the eyes. He was sick and tired of everything. It was as if all the nightmares from the Joui war have decided to occur again.

"Listen to me…" he said firmly, almost forcefully. "Shinpachi and I are fine, do you hear me? We are not dead, our heads are still in place and my hair is still wavy. Don't bend to those delusions of yours, Kagura! You are a Yato, nothing will faze you-"

Even as he trailed off, he knew that it was all hopeless. Kagura was shaking her head relentlessly, not looking him in the eyes and mumbling incomprehensible words. Slowly, she began to draw away from him, hugged her knees and proceeded to hide in her own small body. Gintoki tried to pet her head, to reassure her, but she shunned his gesture. The Yato wasn't hiding from the silver-haired samurai or anybody in the world. She was hiding from _reality_ itself.

The silver-haired samurai withdrew his well-intentioned hand, clenched it into a fist and stuck it rigidly at his side. Forcing himself to turn away from Kagura, he looked at the azure sky through the open window.

"Shinpachi…" he gritted his teeth. "What are you doing? Get your ass back here already-"

A smooth succession of images flashed across his dead-fish eyes. Every single one of them featured the same prominent detail. A sharp object was positioned at Shinpachi's throat.

The silver-haired samurai got to his feet instantly. He had been so occupied with Kagura for the last hour that he had completely forgotten about his protégé. What if… what if that idiot had some weird ass delusions as well?

Gintoki thought no further and took long strides towards the door. Looking back over his shoulder, he murmured a silent apology.

"Sorry, Kagura-chan. I will be back as soon as I can. With a large bag of _sukonbu_, I promise."

With that, he closed the door after him, unaware that it might just be the last time he does so.

O O O

Toshiro wanted to bang his head on the wall. He wanted to commit seppuku on the very spot. Above all, he wanted to get away from the empty-minded idiot in front of him. He _wanted _to twist that confused look and fling it into space.

"As I have been asking for the last damn _hour_," the vice-commander settled on his seat and slammed the table with a fist irritably. "What _happened _in that narrow alley? Try to remember it!"

The bespectacled teenager stared at him blankly, a bewildered expression plastered on his face.

"What happened?" Shimura Shinpachi asked tentatively. "What _happened_?"

Toshiro wanted to flip the table. He wanted to chuck his chair at the idiot. He almost wished that the hooded figure had finished him off right there and then. However, carrying out such acts in the Shinsengumi's interrogation room could hardly help right now.

"I'm the one asking the question!" the vice-commander blustered. "Don't repeat my own question!"

Shinpachi tilted his head to one side questioningly, the very picture of a clueless person.

"I don't know what happened," he shook his head earnestly. "That's why I asked you what happened. I told you just now, didn't I?"

Toshiro was really feeling the pent-up frustration. The fact that the sadistic captain of the first division had implemented a smoking ban in the interrogation room did not serve to help. He couldn't even have a cigarette to alleviate some stress, for goodness sake.

Getting to his feet, the vice-commander started walking towards the door.

"Make sure that you remember something by the time I come back," he said gruffly. "Or there will be no food for you, you hear me?"

Toshiro stepped out of the interrogation room and slammed the door after him. Violently drawing a cigarette from a packet, he lighted it up and took a long puff from it. A steady stream of smoke floated into the air.

He shot a brief glance at the interrogation room. The fact was that, the bespectacled teenager wasn't intentionally acting like a clueless idiot. Forty minutes into the investigation, he had realised that. Even so, he could not help but get irritated by that idiotic look on his face. Lives were on the line and that guy was presenting such a careless exterior to him…

_"What do you mean, you don't remember anything?" Toshiro had demanded. "You weren't even injured in the head! There shouldn't be any concussion symptoms or shit like that!"_

_The bespectacled teenager had simply looked at him, seemingly offering no answers in return. The vice-commander had grunted and seeing no other viable option, began to explain the details to the listening boy._

_There had been a pregnant pause when Toshiro had finished his speech._

_"Well?" the vice-commander had inquired. "Do you remember anything now?"_

_He had felt a vein throbbing at his own forehead when the bespectacled teenager shook his head. He was about to yell when the boy consented to open his mouth._

_"If what you said were true," Shinpachi said tentatively. "I might have been traumatized to such a degree that my mind locked my own memories."_

_"Locked your own memories?" Toshiro had repeated in disbelief. "How could that happen? You shouldn't even know how to speak then!"_

_The bespectacled teenager had hesitated._

_"My mind seemed to have locked up the memories of other people, but not facts and other stuff," he said slowly. "It's why I still remember how to talk. It's why I still remember my own name. However, I don't remember anybody except myself and you now."_

_Toshiro's face must have shown blatant bewilderment, for Shinpachi had taken it upon himself to continue._

_"I know it's hard to believe…" the bespectacled teenager had said. "I don't exactly know why I possess these thoughts as well… maybe it's just some part of my brain retaining my sanity… I don't know…"_

Toshiro thought for a moment, before furrowing his eyebrows in concentration. He had steadfastly refused to believe that the boy had actually gone through something so ludicrous-sounding, just when he needed the information so badly. It felt as though an invisible hand was slapping him in spite. As a result, the vice-commander had continued to pose questions relentlessly. The idiot had just persisted with the same confused expression, reiterating again and again that he didn't know. However, if that was really the case... questioning the boy will be just about as helpful as questioning a pair of glasses. He will have to investigate further on his own; there was no other choice. He shoved his roughly bandaged hand into his pocket as he looked around.

"Hey, Sasaki!" he called. A reply sounded almost instantaneously.

"Yes!" a chubby and short man with shaved hair came running over. "Yes, Hijikata-dono?"

"Don't call me that, idiot," Toshiro grunted. He gestured to the interrogation room with his left hand.

"Escort him home," the vice-commander ordered. "That will be your job for the day."

Sasaki Tetsunosuke instantly stood to command, saluting vigorously.

"Yes, Hijikata-dono!" Tetsunosuke said intensely, his big eyes shining comically. "I will get him home even if I die!"

"I said," Toshiro flicked his stubbed cigarette into a nearby disposal bin. "Don't call me that, idiot."

"Yes, Hijikata-dono!"


	5. Chapter 4: Wide Eyes

**Genre: Drama/Mystery**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama or any of the characters.**

* * *

**Gintama: Sinister Arc**

* * *

"Where are you bringing me?" Shinpachi inquired, walking through a particularly deserted street languidly. A chubby and short man decked out in the same attire as his interrogator was leading the way, rapping enthusiastically as he went. Admittedly, the rap was nothing special; the lyrics made no sense whatsoever. It was kind of nostalgic, though. He felt as though he had met a similarly horrible rapper before. Perhaps, just perhaps, that elusive rapper was even worse.

"Your home, of course," Sasaki Tetsunosuke replied, sounding surprised. "Didn't Hijikata-dono tell you? You have been released from custody."

The chubby man pronounced the name with a distinctive form of reverence. He was either a huge worshipper of this 'Hijikata-dono', or wants to be one. To be honest, he was probably the latter. From what Shinpachi saw earlier on, his interrogator doesn't seem to be the kind who will appreciate a rapping worshipper around him.

"No, he didn't," the bespectacled teenager said honestly. "He just told me to remember everything that had happened or I won't be getting any food."

Tetsunosuke gave a nervous laugh.

"Well, Hijikata-dono changed his mind at the last second, I guess," he said slowly. "But I got to admit, that sounded more like a threat than anything…"

They wandered through numerous streets for a substantial while, with Tetsunosuke racking up a continuous supply of rap verses. Instead of improving, they seemed to be deteriorating. Some aren't even related to the subsequent verses, after all.

"Anyways," the chubby man stopped in his tracks so suddenly that Shinpachi nearly crashed into him. The bespectacled teenager had been busy shutting his ears out. He felt that if any more of those verses entered his head, he will have even more trouble communicating with the world. "Hijikata-dono left me inexplicit instructions earlier on. He said that you could either go back to your own home, or return to a certain 'Yorozuya Gin-chan'."

Tetsunosuke turned around with a questioning look. Shinpachi knew that he was awaiting a reply, but he could not quite form an answer yet. For some reason, the last six syllables were strangely familiar.

"What's the Yorozuya Gin-chan?" the teenager asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "How am I related to it? Why does it sound so… familiar?"

Tetsunosuke looked surprised.

"You don't remember your own workplace?"

O O O

The door was so close, yet it felt so _alien _at the same time. Shinpachi had a nagging feeling that he was supposed to recognize it, but something was in the way. His _own_ _mind _was in the way.

"Here it is, Yorozuya Gin-chan," Tetsunosuke said, waving a piece of crumpled paper. "Hijikata-dono's hand-drawn map is _amazing_. It led us right to the doorstep!"

Shinpachi decided not to mention the fact that they had to take several detours along the way, with a couple of dead ends thrown in. If his interrogator's drawing was _amazing_, they will never have had to go through such a horrid experience in the first place.

"Go on ahead, then," Tetsunosuke beamed. "I will leave after ascertaining that everything is fine!"

The bespectacled teenager turned to the door, subconsciously aware of a pressuring gaze at his back. He wanted to back out, to avoid sliding that door to the side. For some reason, the mere sight of the door presented a heart-warming disposition, but at the same time exhibited a morbid disposition as well. The fact that his mind was literally firing off numerous warning alarms did not help either.

"What's wrong?" the voice of Tetsunosuke sounded worriedly behind him. "Why aren't you opening the door? Are you alright?"

Shinpachi wanted to yell that he was not _alright_. In fact, he was far from alright. He was positively jittery, his teeth gritting instinctively. He was starting to wish that he had gone straight home instead, and ignored the familiar ring that 'Yorozuya Gin-chan' had elicited. If he had just done that, he will not have to deal with so many conflicting emotions and a rapping, chubby guy staring down his neck. The fact that Tetsunosuke had a pair of large and sparkling eyes just served to increase the pressure.

"I'm fine," he said in the end. Taking a deep breath, Shinpachi rested a hand on the door and gingerly slid it open. There was nobody in sight, with only a visible floor path that leads into the interior.

"Whoa, that's a nice workplace you have there," Tetsunosuke commented, poking a head into the doorway. "It's almost like an apartment, to be honest."

A haunting feeling was arising in Shinpachi's guts. He had a feeling that there was something… _morbid_ about the whole place. Actually, was it the place or a person? He could not differentiate. What he did know, however, was that he was really regretting the trip to this place.

Kicking his slippers off, he stepped onto the wooden floor and proceeded to advance through the interior.

"I will be waiting here!" Tetsunosuke called cheerily. "If everything is fine, just tell me and I will be off!"

Shinpachi hardly heard his words; he was too busy traversing the floor path. Every consecutive pace he took, a bite of tension will gnaw at him. By the time he was right in front of the door that leads to the main hall, his hackles were practically raised.

"Come on, Shinpachi," he murmured to himself. "This is the place you work at, isn't it? There won't be any creepy individuals here…"

Taking yet another deep breath, he slid open the door and looked inside the room. Almost instantly, his eyes widened. Every particle in his body was screaming in fear. The bespectacled teenager began to draw back instinctively, his fists trembling at his sides.

There was a familiar girl sitting on a sofa, curled up in a ball. She looked helpless enough, but Shinpachi was experiencing real trepidation at the mere sight of her. As if the girl had sensed his fearful gaze, she began to straighten up, sitting in an upright position. She rubbed her eyes with her hands, gave a yawn and glanced at him.

The bespectacled teenager's blood ran cold. He could not hear anything; blood was rushing furiously inside his brain. As he stood there, shell-shocked, the girl began to walk towards him in an almost languid fashion. Along the way, she grabbed a purple parasol off the table and looked at him again.

Shinpachi wanted to run, but his legs refused to move. He wanted to scream, but no voice came out of his mouth. His pupils dilated in pure terror as the girl grinned and raised her parasol. Her eyes were contracted into twisted slits, her blue, circular pupils seeming to reflect his terrified expression. The bespectacled teenager could only watch, helpless, as the girl plunged her parasol into his chest.

O O O

The district of Kabukicho has never seemed larger. The streets appeared to be endless, with always the additional street or path to comb through. As time stretched, the stifling feeling of apprehension in the silver-haired samurai's chest strengthened as well.

"Where the _hell _is that idiot…" Gintoki muttered, sprinting through the streets with an urgent air. "Don't tell me…"

An image flashed before his eyes; a picture depicting the death of a bespectacled teenager with his throat clearly stabbed through.

The silver-haired samurai shook his head vigorously. There was no way that his protege will die so easily.

_The girl nearly died, though. She will have died with a bloody throat if you had not intervened. What's to say that the boy will not die in the same situation?_

Gintoki stopped in his tracks and clutched his head, trying desperately to clear all the pessimistic thoughts from his mind.

_You're trying to get rid of the realistic assumptions? Save your efforts, it's impossible. Nobody runs away from reality. It's invincible, solid and ruthlessly cruel._

"Get out of my head," Gintoki snarled as he began to wander off the path, shaking his head fervently. "Get out of my head, you piece of shit."

_You're trying to talk yourself out of it now? I'm afraid it's still impossible. Didn't I say that it was solid? You can't break out of reality with some words, and that's an impenetrable fact. Give it up. Submit to reality. Assume the worst scenario. The boy is dead._

Yet another image flashed before the silver-haired samurai's eyes. Shinpachi was keeled on the ground, lying in a pool of his own blood. The bespectacled teenager was unmistakably dead.

Gintoki gritted his teeth and started ramming himself against the side of the wall. The voice in his head subsided somewhat, much to his surprise… and pain. He clutched his bruised shoulder with his right hand and looked up.

The silver-haired samurai's eyes widened. His thoughts went into disarray. What he was seeing before his very eyes was just not _possible._

"Gintoki," a man clothed in a grey robe and haori said softly, walking towards him. The newcomer's grey-brown hair cascaded over his back, ending at his waist.

Gintoki could not breathe. It wasn't possible… It just wasn't _possible _after so many years…

_Our comrades… everyone… please take care of them for me, okay? Let's make it a promise._

The silver-haired samurai looked up as his _sensei _stood before him.

"It's been too long, Gintoki," Yoshida Shouyo said, smiling warmly. "Have you taken care of everyone for me?"

O O O

The vice-commander of the Shinsengumi gazed intensely at the atmosphere as he traversed the length of an alleyway, subconsciously feeling the concrete wall on the side with his left hand.

"There's nothing wrong with the air…" he murmured as he felt healthy breezes flowing around him. "I could have _sworn _that the air was still the last time I was here… was it just a mere coincidence?"

Even as he said the words, Toshiro knew that it was not just a mere _coincidence_. Having thrived through instinct alone for so many years, he will have a gut feeling about this kind of things. Right now, his gut was indicating that there were larger hands at work… sinister and manipulative hands that have somehow forced a resilient teenager to lock his own memories in self-defence.

"What am I supposed to do now?" the vice-commander sighed aloud. "This was the largest lead I have so far, apart from an amnesiac idiot-"

The atmosphere felt different in an instant; it was almost impossible to notice. It did not escape the demonic vice-commander's attention, though. Furrowing his eyebrows, Toshiro rested his left hand on his sheathed sword.

"He's here, huh…" Toshiro muttered under his breath, gazing around his surroundings warily. "It will be hard to fight with only my left hand, but it will have to do."

He waited for the enemy to make the first move. Nothing happened. After a while, Toshiro began to lose his patience.

"Come out!" he hollered. "I know you are there!"

His voice seemed to reverberate around the narrow alleyway. But then, since the air was _still_, it made sense for sounds to bounce off the concrete walls.

There was no audible reply, or any motions. The enemy was playing tricks with him.

"Come out!" Toshiro shouted, a vein throbbing at his forehead. "Even if you are hiding, I know you-"

The remaining words stuck in his throat. He did not know what to say, or what to do. He watched with increasing tension as a woman with short, sandy brown hair was stabbed through the stomach, thereafter cruelly flung onto the ground.

The vice-commander's eyes dilated in pure apprehension and disbelief. What was happening? How could such a thing occur right before his eyes?

He stared blankly as a light brown-haired man withdrew his _katana _from the woman's stomach and sank it into her chest. A hollow laugh erupted; a laugh that reeked of sadism and blood lust. As more blood spurted into the air, the laugh became even more twisted. Toshiro's fists trembled at his sides. The man was slashing the dead woman for _fun._

What was he doing? He should be arresting that obvious psycho, shouldn't he? That was his job, wasn't it? Yet, why was he simply standing there, staring at a sick slaughter fest? Why are his legs unable to move? Why do they refuse to move?

Deep down, the vice-commander knew the reason. His mind was just unable to keep up with the revelation. After all, what he was seeing before his very eyes contradicted every single thread of logic in his own mind.

Toshiro's heart clenched painfully as Okita Sougo mutilated his own sister mercilessly, revelling in the sheer bloodshed with twisted, high-pitched laughs.


	6. Chapter 5: Demise

**Genre: Drama/Mystery**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama or any of the characters.**

* * *

**Gintama: Sinister Arc**

* * *

"What's up, babe?" Tetsunosuke waved his hands exaggeratedly in the air. "Verse number two do the damn thang keeps on my neck pocket's full of Ben Franks-"

_ARGHHHHH_

The chubby man could not quite manage to hurl out the last syllable of his verse. After all, a sharp and desperate scream had just pierced through the air; a yell that transcends mere fear. In fact, it radiated pure _terror_. Yet, he could not help but hesitate at the doorway of the apartment. What if it was just an overenthusiastic outburst at the sight of his colleagues? What if the kid was just surprised by some out-of-the-blue prank? He will just be intruding on them then, and it will be pretty embarrassing.

"That's right…" Tetsunosuke said softly. "It's fine… everything is fine…"

_ARGHHHHH_

He clenched his fists. It was no mere joke on the part of the kids' colleagues. Nobody could possibly emit _two _terrified screams in a row, _nobody_. There was no point hesitating any longer. He will have to take action.

"Kid!" the chubby man called as he burst into the threshold of the apartment. "Kid, what happened?"

There was no reply. Tetsunosuke gritted his teeth and dashed through the corridors as fast as he could, as fast as his short legs could afford to oblige anyway. He subconsciously thought that if he just had his half-brother's long legs, everything will feel so much _smoother _in life.

The chubby man turned around a corner.

"Kid-"

He held his breath, his eyes widening instinctively. His mouth closed tightly as he stared blankly at the sight before him.

O O O

"Sensei…?" Gintoki mumbled disbelievingly, staring blankly at the man before him. What was happening? What on earth was happening? Why was his teacher here? Why was his _dead _teacher here, staring at him with that familiar benevolent smile? It's just not possible. There's no way in hell that it was possible.

"…?" the man murmured softly. "You don't look happy to see me, Gintoki. What's wrong?"

The silver-haired samurai didn't reply. What was he supposed to say? Was he supposed to tell him that he should have been long dead? Was he supposed to tell him that he had seen his dead and desecrated body on the battlefield? Was he supposed to tell him that he shouldn't even be _here?_

Yoshida Shouyo looked concerned. Approaching the silver-haired samurai with light footsteps, he rested a hand on the younger man's shoulder. Gintoki did not even react at the seemingly affectionate gesture. How could he react at an _impossible _gesture?

"Gintoki…" Shouyo said. "What's wrong…? I'm back. Everything will be fine again."

Gintoki did not avert his gaze. His mouth refused to move. His mind was racing with infinite thoughts and memories. Everything was not _fine._ How was he supposed to face his teacher? How was he supposed to face the man before him when he had broken their promise?

_Our comrades… everyone… please take care of them for me, okay? Let's make it a promise._

The silver-haired samurai clenched his fists. He had not managed to fulfil their promise. He had let his own comrades die in battle. He had let his teacher's students _die. _He had been asked to keep them safe, and he had allowed them to _die_.

The older man did not miss the sudden, violent gesture on the part of his student. His smile did not fade, but rather tautened in a more serious line.

"Gintoki…" Shouyo said firmly. "What's _wrong_…? Tell me. Tell your sensei about it."

The silver-haired samurai took in the older man's face, words and his warm touch. Everything felt the same, just as it had been so many years ago. It will have been _exactly _the same, if it had not been for a broken promise and the sight of a decapitated head on a bloody field of corpses. Yet, what if those memories were just delusions his mind had conjured on the spur? What if this man before him was the real entity, and was here to rescue him from a whirling nightmare? What if he could finally be freed from the hell his mind had gone through in the last decade? Was it even possible? Did he dare to believe in it?

"Can I…" Gintoki said softly, hardly daring to believe what he was saying. "Can I really tell you all about it…?"

Shouyo's smile was bright and luminescent.

"Of course, Gintoki," the older man said warmly. "I'm your teacher. I will _always _be here for you."

The silver-haired samurai began to open up. His mind began to disregard all the conflicting memories. What matters was _now,_ wasn't it? Numerous people having been ranting over the fact that one should not look towards the past, but rather the present and the future. He was looking towards the present and the future right now, wasn't he? It was right, wasn't it?

"Sensei…" Gintoki spoke up hesitantly. The long-haired man's smile seemed to transcend the mere notion of _warm_; it was comforting and calming.

There was a rising feeling in the silver-haired samurai's heart. A feeling that he had not felt for years… _Hope._

"Sensei-"

A burst of blood showered his profile. Shell-shocked, Gintoki stood there, unmoving. He slowly declined his gaze, until he met the eyes of a benevolent face. They were peaceful and calm, just as they have always been, with only a slight difference. They were distinctly _lifeless_.

The figure of Yoshida Shouyo crumpled to the floor, where it lay unmoving. The neck was conspicuously detached in half. As Gintoki stared blankly at the fallen body of his teacher, he slowly registered the decapitated head on the ground. It was his teacher's.

Painful memories shot before his eyes. That decapitated head… he had seen it before. It had been smiling with the same exact expression as it was now. There was no difference whatsoever. It was almost as if his memory had been set on materialization projection.

The silver-haired samurai couldn't breathe. He couldn't see. Everything was a blur. Slowly, he crouched to his knees. He didn't know what to say or what to do. All he knew was that he had to continue staying there, in that exact position. If he strays from the spot, everything will repeat. The senseless deaths of his comrades, the defection of his closest _friends_ and most importantly, the absence of his teacher by his side, everything will repeat once _again_.

Should he cry? Could he cry? Why should he cry? It has happened before, hasn't it? Why should he cry again? Is it worth it? Was it worth it?

_It's painful, isn't it?_

Gintoki didn't stir from his daze. Why should he react to the sudden voice in his head? He saw no reason. All he wanted was to stay by his teacher's side, to protect him, to see his face. Nothing else matters.

_I told you it was solid. Reality has always been solid. You refused to listen. You reap the consequences._

The silver-haired samurai refused to acknowledge the words. He did not make any visible signs that he had heard the voice.

_Trying to ignore me…? I suppose I can't blame you for that. You won't be the first person to lose to reality; in fact, everyone before you had succumbed to it._

There was a brief, stoic silence.

_However, what if I told you that you could meet your teacher again? Will you still ignore me…?_

Gintoki heard the words this time. He heard them loud and clear. He must have made some excessive motion, because the voice seemed to laugh silently.

_Who wouldn't wish to meet their loved ones again? It's so predictable… especially for humans, where the heart rules over their mind and body. Once emotions kick in, everything will be a blur to them. Even if it was false, their hearts will persist in thinking that it's true. Really, humans are way too predictable._

The silver-haired samurai did not move a single muscle.

_Very well, I shall let you meet him._

There was a long period of silence. Gintoki knew that he shouldn't be waiting for the voice's return, but he couldn't help it. Even if they were empty words, his ears interpreted them as actual, living words. His heart wanted to _believe _in the words.

_Gintoki…_

The silver-haired samurai's eyes widened. Turning his head, he gazed around his surroundings in a frantic manner. For a moment there, he thought he had heard the voice of his deceased teacher. But it was impossible, wasn't it? Dead people _don't _talk. That was the truth, the cold, hard truth.

_Gintoki, do you hear me?_

Despite himself, Gintoki got to his feet and searched desperately for the origin of the voice. It was futile; the sound had seemingly been emitted from _all _directions.

"Where are you, Sensei?" the silver-haired samurai asked disbelievingly. "How are you still able to talk…?"

…_I do not know, Gintoki…_

There was a stoic silence as Gintoki continued to swivel his eyes around the entire area, desperate to locate the elusive figure of his own teacher.

_Gintoki, do you wish to see me…?_

The silver-haired samurai tried to listen closely, but the altitude of the sound waves proved to be too powerful for his ears. All he could hear were echoes that seemed to reverberate around the very walls.

"Where are you, Sensei…? Why can't I see you?"

…_Gintoki, I do not know why… but to see me, you have to do something for me…_

The silver-haired samurai paused.

"What is it, Sensei?" Gintoki queried. "I will do _anything_."

…_Really…? You will do anything…?_

"Yes, Sensei, I will do _anything_."

…_Gintoki, do you see any sharp objects around you…?_

The silver-haired samurai hesitated. There was nothing sharp within his reach, unless you counted a tiny pebble as a sharp object. He rested a hand on his sheathed sword.

"I don't see any, Sensei. But, I've got my wooden sword."

…_Hmmm…Yes, it will work just fine as well…_

"What am I supposed to do now, Sensei? What must I do to _see _you…?"

…_Gintoki, will you really be willing to do anything to see me…?_

"Why, Sensei…? What are you hiding from me…?"

…_Answer me, Gintoki. Will you really be willing to do anything to see me…?_

The silver-haired samurai's eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"Yes, Sensei, I will do _anything_."

There was a pregnant pause.

…_Very well, Gintoki. Here's what I want you to do…_

The silver-haired samurai listened with bated breath.

…_Unsheathe that wooden sword… and pierce it through your throat._

Gintoki was silent. Slowly, he unsheathed his wooden sword and held it slowly to his own throat.

"I _believe _you, Sensei…" the silver-haired samurai whispered. "After all, you were the one who granted me life in the first place. I have no reason to go back on your request, no matter how ridiculous it sounds."

…_Do not worry, Gintoki. After you do it, you will be able to join me. We will always be together, teacher and student. I promise._

Gintoki's hand shook. He could feel the sharp edge of the wooden sword against his own skin. It was cold. It was cold with the notion of _death_.

"I trust you, Sensei," he murmured, closing his eyes. "I have always trusted you…"

…_Trust me this last time, Gintoki. We will never leave each other again. I promised._

"Promise, huh…?" the silver-haired samurai said softly. "Sounds good to me…"

Dense, red liquid spurted into the air as the sword made its mark. As if in slow motion, Sakata Gintoki fell to the floor face-first, motionless. A hollow laugh erupted in the immediate area; the twisted, sardonic laugh of Yoshida Shouyo reverberating around the walls at the death of his own student.

O O O

The _katana_ slashed through the air endlessly. The heart of Hijikata Toshiro clenched endlessly. Yet, his legs refused to move. His body refused to move. His mind refused to work. As far as the vice-commander was concerned, everything was in shambles.

"What am I doing…?" the raven-haired man thought blankly as blood showered into the air. "What am I doing…?"

His legs gave way. Shocked, he found himself on all fours.

"What the hell am I doing…?" Toshiro muttered disbelievingly. He tried to shake his head, but it refused to budge. Why can't he move _anything _at all?

The figure of Okita Sougo cackled twistedly as he proceeded to slash his own sister's face. Every deep cut elicited a particularly pleasurable cry from the captain. Before long, the woman who had been known as Okita Mitsuba had been reduced to an unrecognizable mess of flesh and blood. Yet, Sougo was still not satisfied. He began to dismember the body into different parts, laughing insanely as he did so.

Toshiro gritted his teeth, clenched his fists and tried to force himself forward. He wasn't going to sit still and watch a sadistic slaughter fest happen right before his eyes. Even if the situation went against sheer _logic,_ there was no way in _hell _that he was going to let it all happen. Fake or not, the insane psycho was going to die by his own sword.

Footsteps approached. Despite himself, the vice-commander froze in mid-pull. Okita Sougo was staring at him with a twisted smirk on his face, a stained _katana _directed at the square between Toshiro's eyes.

"Hijikata-san…" the captain taunted darkly. "I must admit… you fared better than the ones before you."

Toshiro could not move. Any sudden action could mean a sword through his head.

"What are you talking about, bastard?" the vice-commander somehow managed to snarl.

Sougo looked at him, before breaking into an insane-sounding laugh.

"It seems I gave you too much credit there," he said in a disappointed air. "I thought you will have been able to differentiate reality from mere delusions, what with your seeming intellect and instinct."

"What are you talking about-"

Toshiro held his breath. The figure before him was vanishing into the air, right before his very eyes.

"What... what the hell happened…" he muttered incomprehensibly.

"Tut, tut… I thought you will have been able to see them for what they really were… You're just like the rest, aren't you? Judging everything by your eyes alone…"

Toshiro averted his gaze at the unknown voice. A masked figure leapt through the air and landed right in front of him.

"You…" the vice-commander said, recognition dawning in his eyes. "You're that assassin… How-"

Toshiro went silent. Everything fitted into place. The unconscious Yorozuya, the masked figure above him and the _still _air... All of them linked together to form one single conclusion.

"So that's how you got the boy too, huh?" he spat on the floor. "Making him see some disgusting, bloody slaughter fest…?"

The masked figure looked at him.

"Not bad, you managed to catch on at the end. Not bad at all."

Toshiro gritted his teeth, sheer anger coursing through his veins. He can't believe the fact that he had succumbed to such a ludicrous trick. There were so many signs and yet, he failed to connect the links together. If the real Sougo ever caught wind of this, the fearsome, demonic vice-commander will be a laughing stock in the Shinsengumi the very next day.

Snarling, he attempted to get to his feet. To his utmost bewilderment, he still could not move his body.

"What the…?" the vice-commander exclaimed as he tried to get up. "Why can't I move my body? I already know that they were mere delusions! Why am I still affected by them?"

"…It seems that…" the masked figure said softly. "You actually care for the delusional figures to the point that your entire system had gone into shock…"

Toshiro furrowed his eyebrows as he recalled the figure of a woman being slashed mercilessly on the ground.

"Damn it…" he muttered. "Even in death, I still can't shake her off…"

The assailant was silent as he studied the struggling figure on all fours, trying desperately to heave himself up.

"…I was going to kill you…" the masked figure finally said. "But I have changed my mind. You will do better alive."

Toshiro looked up.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded brusquely. "Get on with it, bastard. I don't need any patronizing from _monsters._"

The masked figure seemed to freeze. For a moment, he reached for the dagger at his belt.

He paused in mid-reach, slowly withdrawing his right hand to the side of his body.

"I actually let a mere _human _aggravate me…" he said softly. "I must be getting weak… Regardless."

He gazed at Toshiro's defiant profile with a contemplative air, before reaching a hand into his black robes.

"Take him, Ein," he whispered. "Don't mess up his mind too much, though. It could still be useful to us."

"Who the hell are you talking to-"

Toshiro's eyes widened. A moment later, everything faded to black.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the slight delay, guys. I had a real irritating writing block in the midst of writing this particular chapter. Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!**


	7. Chapter 6: Musings of a Sadist

**Genre: Drama/Mystery**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama or any of the characters.**

* * *

**Gintama: Sinister Arc**

* * *

**ONE WEEK LATER**

Okita Sougo cut a brooding figure on the perch of his seat. Flipping through a stack of papers with deft flicks, his eyebrows were furrowed; crimson eyes intense and sharp. When there were no more pages to flick through, he sighed and placed the stack not-too-gently on the table in front of him. Sitting back in his chair, he closed his eyes resignedly.

"Another load of misleading information, huh…?" the captain of the first Division murmured, pinching the creases of his eyebrows periodically. "Not that I expected much in the first place…"

Silent seconds passed. He slowly unfurled his eyelids, gazing distantly at the opposite wall. Everything was happening right before his eyes, yet he could not discern a single thing…

_The atmosphere in the meeting room had been heavy, stifling even. There had been sobbing sounds around the entire platoon, and even the commander himself had looked emotionally unstable. Only a certain individual had remained impassive, though his trembling fists did indicate otherwise._

"_It's not confirmed that Toshi has fallen to them…" Kondo had muttered, trying valiantly to sound optimistic. "Toshi is strong, after all… He won't submit to them so easily…"_

_There had been a stoic silence. Nobody said anything. Nobody wanted to say anything. They simply bit their lips and cast pairs of downcast eyes upon the floor; the pale, brown floor. They knew that if they said anything, everything will be broken. Their last hope will be mercilessly shattered into pieces. _

"_That's right…" Kondo had continued listlessly. "He will surely come back… he will be back before you even know it… that's right-"_

"_He isn't dead."_

_Heads turned; a calm, resolute voice had resonated from the captain of the first division himself. They had stared at him with grief-wrecked faces._

"_As much as I hate to say it…" Okita Sougo had said impassively. "Hijikata-san isn't dead."_

_The Shinsengumi did not know how to react. Their captain had always been the calculative type, yet here he was, denying the highly possible chance that their vice-commander had perished in battle._

"_Sougo…" Kondo had said softly._

"_I'm not speaking up for that bastard," the captain had said shortly. "I'm just stating a fact. He isn't dead."_

_The rest of the platoon stared blankly at him. He had gritted his teeth; they thought that he was merely trying to pacify them. They thought that he was trying to help Kondo-san in his futile attempt at consolation._

"_But Sougo…" the commander had said hesitantly. "How are you so sure…?"_

_It was evident that the commander himself did not believe in what Sougo had said, even though he was the one trying to rectify the entire situation in the first place. Somewhere in Kondo-san's heart, he had thought that the vice-commander was dead as well._

"_Think about it," the captain had stated matter-of-factly. "We only found blood stains that belonged to him, not his actual body. There was no evidence that he was dead."_

_There was a resigned air; he knew what was coming._

"_But Captain… if the vice-commander's not dead, why has he not returned? Where did he go?"_

_Sougo had clenched his fists. He knew that the bastard was definitely not dead, yet why had he disappeared? Furthermore, that mayonnaise-loving freak had actually disappeared for an entire week…_

_He had narrowed his crimson eyes. By the third day of the absence of the vice-commander, they had launched a district-wide search. Results were grim; they had discovered blood stains in a narrow alleyway. Samples were taken to headquarters and the identity was revealed instantaneously. They had belonged to none other than Hijikata Toshiro himself…_

"_I don't know, but he's definitely not dead," Sougo had reiterated curtly. He got to his feet amongst a sea of troubled faces. "As much as I will like for him to die a terrible death, it's not the time yet. I will still have to wait a little longer."_

_With that, the captain strode out of the meeting room, leaving a trail of blank faces in his wake._

Sougo breathed in the damp, moist air. It was distinctly unpleasant; there was a definite air of bitterness…

"_What about the other blood stains we discovered in the other area?" Sougo had asked. "Have you matched them to the origin?"_

_Yamazaki was silent; his eyes refused to meet the captain's. A rising sense of foreboding lodged itself in Sougo's heart._

"_Is it one of the Shinsengumi…?" the light brown-haired man had grasped Yamazaki's shirt. The spy still refused to meet his eyes. "Tell me, Yamazaki! Who is it this time-"_

"_Boss"_

_Sougo had thought he had miscomprehended the word. Boss…? Why was Yamazaki addressing him by that term? Was the idiot trying to be funny…?_

"_What are you up to, Yamazaki? I'm telling you to tell me the identity of the person-"_

"_Boss, Captain. Yorozuya's boss…"_

_Sougo froze momentarily; letting go of the spy, he tracked back a single step dazedly._

"_Boss…?" he repeated softly._

"_According to the owner of the snack shop below his apartment," the spy had said hesitantly. "He had been missing for four days, Captain…"_

Sougo looked out of the window. It was empty. _Uncomfortably _empty…

"_Bring me to her, Tetsunosuke," the captain had ordered impassively. "She might have known something. I have to ask her."_

_The chubby man had looked distinctly unsettled._

"_What is it, Tetsunosuke? She might be the key to your worshipped Hijikata. Why are you so hesitant as to tell me?"_

_Sasaki Tetsunosuke shifted his feet. He looked uncomfortable, but eventually quailed under the captain's steely gaze._

"_It might not be a good idea, Captain," the chubby man had raised his hands in protest. "She's not feeling that fine right now…"_

"_I don't have time for this, Tetsunosuke. I don't care if China doesn't feel well. If she cares about Boss, she will spit out everything even if she was on her deathbed."_

_The chubby man hesitated, before biting his lips. He did not offer a reply._

_Sougo might have been an impassive person in general, but it did not mean that he had a whole bucket of patience. Right now, every single second counts._

"_If you don't say anything, Tetsunosuke," Sougo had said threateningly. "I'm going to truss you up in chains and whip you for six hours straight."_

_Yet, the chubby man still refused to speak. Irritated beyond measure, the captain had turned on his heels._

"_Enough of this," Sougo said softly. "I'm heading there straight-"_

"_She's no longer the little girl you know!"_

_The captain stopped in his tracks; he looked over his shoulder. The chubby man was looking fixedly at the floor._

"_What did you mean by that, Tetsunosuke?" Sougo had inquired, his eyebrows furrowed. "She's still China, isn't she? Are you trying to say that she had somehow transformed into Mexico?"_

_Tetsunosuke had looked tense for a moment. It took a while before he even dared to look up again._

"_I didn't mean that, Captain," the chubby man had said slowly and hesitantly. "What I was trying to say is that…"_

_He met the captain's crimson eyes._

"_She's just an empty shell now, Captain. The little girl you knew... she's just an empty shell..."_

The captain got to his feet. His eyes were filled with intent.

"_What about the boy…?" Sougo had inquired firmly. "You said that Hijikata brought him to the headquarters... He might know something, doesn't he? Bring me to him."_

_Again, the chubby man shuffled his feet, looking fixedly at the ground. Sougo watched with a level of irritableness that was not present just a few days ago. He had grabbed the collars of the shocked man, forcing him to meet his eyes._

"_Bring me to him…" the captain had whispered fiercely._

_The chubby man tried to look everywhere; he failed magnificently._

"_It's of no use, Captain…" Tetsunosuke said softly. "It's…" he trailed off._

_Sougo had wanted to wring his throat. Why can't the idiot ever get to the point?_

"_What is it, Tetsunosuke? Finish your sentence; don't leave it hanging."_

_The chubby man paused for a substantial while, before opening his mouth._

"_He doesn't know anything, Captain…"_

_Sougo eyed the chubby man critically._

"_What are you trying to say? He might be young, but he could still see, couldn't he? No matter how vague it is, it could help us find-"_

"_He's amnesiac, Captain."_

_Sougo stared at him blankly. The bespectacled boy was amnesiac…? _

"_What do you mean by that, Tetsunosuke…?" the captain had demanded softly. "Why will he be amnesiac? What happened?"_

_The chubby man hesitated._

"_Something happened to him, Captain. Something big… Hijikata-dono might not have told me, but I realised it when I went to his workplace. He did not even remember his own workplace…"_

"_He did not remember his own workplace…?" Sougo had repeated disbelievingly. "How is that possible… what about people? Does he remember China and Boss?"_

_Tetsunosuke visibly froze in place. Just when the captain thought that he was gripping the other's uniform too tightly and was about to let go, the chubby man opened his mouth._

"_Yes and no, Captain…" Tetsunosuke answered hesitantly. "He did remember the girl, but it wasn't in the way you will have expected it to be…"_

"_What do you mean by that-"_

"_He went into a panic attack, Captain," the chubby man gulped. "I dashed into their apartment when I heard two loud screams, only to see him writhing and yelling on the floor. His finger was pointed towards a little girl sitting in a room..."_

_Tetsunosuke blinked._

"_He was terrified of the girl, Captain…"_

One whole week had passed, and all he got was a mountain of papers that were barely better than the food that the vice-commander eats. At the rate that things are going, nothing was going to happen. The murders will just persist at the current rate, with nobody having the know-how to stop them.

The captain walked towards the door, his eyebrows furrowed. No matter what Tetsunosuke might have said, he was still going. His life wasn't the only one at stake here; numerous lives were on the line. Inconsequentially, two particularly insignificant lives could hang on the balance as well. There was hardly any time to consider the plights of two problematic children, was there?

Opening the wooden set of doors with a hand, he stepped over the threshold of the room and passed into the corridor. He began to take long strides through the walkway.

"Where are you going, Captain?"

He looked over his shoulder; a short and chubby man was gazing at him curiously.

Despite himself, a smirk sneaked onto his face. Tetsunosuke looked positively horrified.

"Captain…" the chubby man mumbled softly. "You aren't going to…"

He trailed off; he was staring at an empty corridor. The light-brown haired man was gone.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the long delay again, guys! To be honest, I was really unsure on how to approach this particular chapter... but I'm glad it worked out in the end ;) **


	8. Chapter 7: The Broken Yato

**Genre: Drama/Mystery**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama or any of the characters.**

* * *

**Gintama: Sinister Arc**

* * *

Okita Sougo inadvertently raised an eyebrow; despite everything he had heard, the sheer sight of the usually fiery and crazy girl huddled in a corner of the sofa still surprised him. Had there been a blue moon in the last few days?

"Hey, China!" the captain called mockingly as he trod into the room uninvited. Taking a seat on the opposite sofa, he gazed at the Yato sardonically. "You won't mind if I sit opposite you, right?"

Even as he made his taunt, he half expected a red-haired girl to come leaping at him with a parasol. He was disappointed though; the girl remained closed into herself on the sofa, not even making a single reaction at his entrance. He removed a tentative hand from his sheathed sword; there was an air of disappointment as he realised that he didn't need it.

He arched an eyebrow. He did not notice when he had entered, but there were plates of food placed on the wooden table. It seems that there were still people bringing food to her… Yet, every single plate was untouched, although he could understand the notion behind it. Some of the dishes contained some sort of rare, black matter; it could actually be compared to the vice-commander's food, which was a miracle in itself.

The captain furrowed his eyebrows at the sheer number of plates on the table; how long has the Yato not eaten? A day…? Three days…?

He leant forward. The girl looked exceptionally fragile and small. Could it be that she has not eaten for an entire _week?_

"Hey, China," Sougo said. "You won't mind if I help myself to some of this food, will you?"

There was no reply. In fact, the girl did not even make any motion. She was still hugging her knees, her small, red-haired head tucked into the small space between her kneecaps. It was exactly as Tetsunosuke had said. She was retreating into herself, refusing to re-emerge into the real world.

"_She was motionless, Captain," Tetsunosuke had said. "No matter what I said, she refused to budge. She will just mutter incomprehensible words and keep herself closed."_

_Sougo had regarded the words with a sceptical air. The noisy and nonsensical China was actually closing herself in…?_

"_But…" the chubby man had continued, alerting the light-brown haired man from his vague thoughts. "There was something else about her…"_

_Sougo had gazed at him intensely. _

"_What is it, Tetsunosuke?" the captain had inquired. "Tell me."_

_The chubby man had pondered for a moment._

"_When I touched her shoulder," he had said slowly. "She had looked up at me with this pair of empty eyes. She said something right there and then…"_

Sougo left the food untouched; they had probably gone stale in the first place. He was not going to risk the prospect of having severe diarrhoea just to elicit a highly impossible reaction from the girl. Getting to his feet, he veered around the corner of the table and walked to the space right beside the Yato. Reaching out a hand, he briefly grazed her arm.

"_She said something about dead bodies… and something about heads staring at her…"_

The Yato reacted at his physical touch; lifting her head, she stared at him with lacklustre, ocean blue eyes. It was as if the eyes had no life in them… they were practically lifeless.

"Hey, China," Sougo said tentatively. "Do you know me-"

"Dead… dead… Gin-chan and Shinpachi… dead…" the girl had muttered softly, painfully.

The captain stared at her; Tetsunosuke had said something about dead bodies, but he had not revealed their identities. Yet, what was the Yato rambling about? The boss was a possible case, but the bespectacled boy was definitely not dead. Kondo-san himself had personally verified that the boy was alive and well at his own house, with the sole drawback of being amnesiac. So why was the girl muttering about his death? What exactly had she _seen _to become so reclusive?

"Hey, China," Sougo said slowly. "What did you mean by dead? I don't know about Boss, but the boy is alive and-"

"Your heads flew off…" the girl breathed, her eyes a haunted blue. "They were staring at me…"

The captain narrowed his eyes. Was China referring to him in a transparent attempt to mock him, or was she saying that she had seen heads being decapitated right before her very eyes? Judging by the current implausibility of the former, he will have to go for the latter. In that case, whose heads did she see flying? It might just turn out to be vital to their search for the vice-commander and the silver-haired samurai.

"Whose head flew off, China...?" Sougo urged. "Tell me…"

He trailed off; the girl was hugging her knees again. Irritated, he reached out a hand, fully intending to violently jerk her out of her daze. It did not make contact though. She shunned his touch as if he was a plague.

"China!" Sougo almost shouted. "I don't have time to play games with you! I need to know!"

"Dead… dead… dead…" the Yato muttered incomprehensibly, her head refusing to incline.

The captain gritted his teeth, gazing at the small figure with an incensed air. Tetsunosuke was right. She wasn't the little girl he knew; she was just an empty husk. An empty husk devoid of all emotions except for the grief and delusions that were consuming her… He should be glad, shouldn't he? The Yato morphing into a pitiful, closed creature should have elicited a sadistic tone from the captain himself. Yet, why did he fail to feel elated or joyous? Why did he experience the trenches of anger instead? What was going on with him?

He tried once again to grab her shoulder; she moved out of the way, her eyes gazing at him with a fearful air. Clenching his fists, he persisted, not giving up even when she gave him the most desolate look any person could ever give. What on earth had happened to China to turn her into this crumpled wreck?

"China, stop playing games with me…" Sougo said, his crimson eyes narrowing. "I don't have time to play house with the likes of you."

There was no reply; he didn't expect one. Advancing forward, he closed in on the Yato, who had listlessly dodged to a corner of the room. Her eyes seemed to widen as he approached.

Sougo reached out a hand; there was no way that the girl could dodge his gesture at this distance. His expression was impassive as the Yato stared at him with those empty, fearful eyes.

"Stop… please…"

Despite himself, the captain stopped in mid-reach. His eyebrows furrowed as he slowly withdrew his outstretched hand; his fists clenched violently at his sides. What had he been hoping to achieve by grabbing her shoulder? Force her to spit out everything…? Push her to emerge from her hideous, sorry shell…? Or perhaps, he just wanted to her to look at him in the eyes and say, "Die, super sadist" as she always did…

Sougo turned on his heels. If the Yato refused to speak, he had nothing more to gain from staying here. It might be a long shot, but he was going to have to persuade the bespectacled boy instead. As far as he was concerned, an amnesiac boy with a rabid fear of little girls will be better than monsters that have resorted to hiding within themselves.

He paused; why did he even head to the place where China was in the first place? The efficient and logical way will have been to ask the boy first, since he was still willing to talk. Tetsunosuke had explicitly told him that the girl _refused_ to say anything, except for the standard fare of "die, die, die…" He had listened, and he had comprehended. Yet, why did he still opt to visit the mindless Yato? What was he hoping to achieve by such an illogical act?

The captain looked over his shoulder; the girl was looking at him with a hesitant air. It sounded ludicrous, idiotic even… but…

He shook his head and gazed straight ahead. He was over-thinking things. Somewhere in his heart, he just didn't expect the normally ferocious China to be so… _reclusive_. That must be it; there was no other reason. Well, his expectation was horribly wrong; he had wasted precious minutes… hours… in which he will have done better to visit the boy instead. It was his mistake and his mistake alone.

Sougo started treading towards the open doorway, but there was an irrepressible feeling rising in his guts. He felt that if he didn't say something, he will never be able to leave that sight out of his eyes. The sight of a pitiful girl trying to hide into the corner of an empty room; trying to hide from reality itself…

"You know…" the captain drawled monotonously, his eyes directed at the sparse walkway. He didn't even know if the girl was listening; for all he knew, she might already be hiding in her knees. Even so, he still wanted to release those pent-up words. "I expected more from you, China."

He paused, but there was no reply. Again, he didn't expect one, but had simply paused for the sake of pausing.

"They might insist on hiding it from you," Sougo continued. "But what comes out of it? You already think he's dead, don't you? There's no difference whatsoever."

He could not help it; he looked over his shoulder. To his distinct surprise, he saw the girl looking at him. She was listening to his words. It was vague and tentative, but she was actually paying _attention _to him.

His crimson eyes narrowed as he gazed upon the trembling girl. There was nothing else for it; if this didn't elicit a decent response, nothing will.

"Boss might be dead, China," the captain said impassively. "He might be dead and his own family refuses to look for him, instead opting to hide in a corner of their room and weeping like a a pathetic loser…"

He trailed off, subconsciously clenching his fists; the girl did not react. She was just staring at him with that _repulsive _gaze, mouth forming incomprehensible mutterings. The fact that Boss had died seemed to only confirm her delusions, causing her to erupt in even more rapid sputtering. She was not only helpless; she was _beyond _helpless.

Turning once again to the open door, the captain spat on the floor and walked towards the walkway. Just before he stepped out of sight of the girl, he consented to pause one last time.

"I didn't know you were so weak, China. The boss probably died trying to save _you_ and you go on and on about his death. Do the Yato only know how to grieve? Pathetic…"

Sougo furrowed his eyebrows and prepared to step onto the wooden walkway…

"Hey, Super Sadist…"

He paused in mid-step, his crimson eyes widening despite himself. Did he just imagine that? It was just his imagination, wasn't it? After all, there was no way that a pitiful little girl will have uttered those biting words…

"Don't ignore me, Super Sadist… Or I'm going to throw… this parasol through your heart, uh-huh…"

The captain slowly looked over his shoulder, his gaze hesitant and tentative. Was it… was it really the China girl talking…?

The Yato was no longer clutching her knees for comfort; she might be staring at him with a pale, wan expression, but her eyes were resolute. They were no longer empty and… fearful.

"What did you mean by that, bastard?" Kagura asked with a touch of menace. "Who died trying to save who? Repeat it or you're going to _die_, uh-huh."

Sougo stared at her disbelievingly for a long, heavy while, before everything clicked into place. A smirk sneaked onto his face so smoothly that a stranger will have thought that he was grinning twistedly all along.

"About damn time you awoke from your daze, China…" the captain breathed sarcastically. "I was starting to think that you had gone off the deep end and will never come back again…"


	9. Chapter 8: Recognition

**Genre: Drama/Mystery**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama or any of the characters.**

* * *

**Gintama: Sinister Arc**

* * *

The captain could not help but raise an eyebrow. He knew that the Yato was a humongous eater, yet the sight of her swallowing at least thirty plates of food still elicited a surprised reaction from him. Understandably, the dishes containing dark, rare and burnt charcoal were conspicuously left untouched. It seems that even in the China girl's rabid hunger; those dishes were still unable to gain entry into her demanding stomach.

When she finally finished everything in sight, she let out a huge, unabashed burp right in his face. He stared blankly as his hand subconsciously ruffled his own light-brown hair; an entire fish bone slid off the side of his head. The Yato didn't even look apologetic at the rude gesture, instead glaring at him with an unperturbed gaze that was all too familiar. Sougo could not help but smirk; he actually preferred this rude, offending girl to the submissive, sobbing girl that had been right before him just a few minutes ago.

"Great appetite as usual, China," Sougo said impassively. "But if you don't mind me asking, how many times do you go to the toilet per day? I find it hard to believe that all the food just goes nowhere in your body-"

The redhead picked her nose and flicked a booger at him. Dodging it with ease, he fixed his eyes on her. He could make sarcastic and satirical jokes later; for now, he had to know everything that had transpired. From the tentative looks of it, the girl might finally be able to relate her own harrowing experience.

"Tell me, China," the captain leant forward, his eyes intense and purposeful. "What happened? What occurred in the space of one week that made you so emotional…?"

The Yato was silent; despite himself, Sougo's heart clenched. He had thought that she had somehow recovered from her trauma, but what if it was just a pre-emptive stance? For all he knew, she could revert to that snivelling little girl right after bursting out of her shell for a few minutes. He gritted his teeth; he wasn't going to let that happen before he got all the information he needed.

"China, I need to know-"

"Deaths…" she looked at him right in the eyes. "Heads… Gin-chan and Shinpachi…"

Sougo gazed intently as he registered the hesitancy and fearfulness in her voice. He needn't have worried; she might still be suffering from the after-effects of traumatization, but her mind was definitely her own now. The fact that she was actually meeting his eyes as she uttered those words just served to confirm his crudely-formed hypothesis.

"Explain, China," the captain stated shortly. "What do you mean by deaths? What did you see with those eyes?"

There was a hesitant pause, during which the girl proceeded to bite her lips.

"It might take a while, bastard…" the Yato said softly. "I might even be wasting your time…"

Sougo smirked despite himself. He had already wasted an entire week on fruitless searching; a further furore of nonsensical babbling was hardly going to hurt anyone, was it?

"I have all the time in the world, China," the captain stretched his arms behind his head and gazed at her. "Don't worry about it. Just let everything out."

The Yato looked at him uncertainly. A stoic period of silence erupted where she simply glared at his nonchalant profile with a tentative air. Slowly, she began to open her mouth…

O O O

Sougo sat back in the sofa he was seated on, his impassive outlook slightly diminished. Opposite him, the redhead closed her mouth with a tentative breath and looked uncertainly at him. Narrowing his crimson eyes, he thought about how he was going to go about this. Everything just seemed so… _complicated_ and _messed-up_…

It had been long; the Yato had practically struggled to relate her entire story, breaking up the flow countless times with unnecessary pauses and hesitation. He knew that it wasn't intentional on her part; that it was just the traumatization playing its last tricks, yet he still felt the tremors of annoyance at the redhead. After all, what she was saying was not the normal fare, and it was too annoying to listen to bits and pieces of it at a time.

The captain furrowed his eyebrows. He might have gotten his story, but he hardly advanced towards the entire origin of the situation. But, he did gain some useful knowledge. The killers… weren't human. Somehow, they are controlling random people with sick and twisted delusions that he will have been proud of himself, and propelling them to their deaths. If he was not wrong… if the Boss had not made his timely intervention, there won't even be a redhead in front of him right at that very moment…

He paused; getting to his feet, he looked at the startled Yato with a pair of intense eyes.

"China, come with me," the captain said firmly. "I need you to verify something for me."

The redhead stared at him. He could not discern the expression on her face, but he thought that he saw a spark of defiance in those blue eyes. He smirked; the Yato was slowly but surely gaining her original personality back.

"Why do I have to come with you?" the redhead demanded softly. "I don't follow you, bastard."

The captain eyed her intently. If his suspicions were not wrong, the verification could lead to an advance in their investigations.

"I need you to _verify _it for me," Sougo reiterated resolutely. "I need you to ascertain the particular alleyway that you had walked into one week ago."

The Yato looked sceptically at him.

"Why? I'm not going unless you tell me why, bastard. Gin-chan has always told me not to follow sadistic freaks to secluded areas, uh-huh."

The captain subconsciously thought that the Boss should have rephrased that sentence; the wavy-haired man was hardly a masochistic angel himself. Nevertheless, he met her eyes with a pair of focused, crimson eyes.

"I need you to confirm whether the area that you last saw… was the one with a certain man's blood stains."

O O O

If any of the Shinsengumi or for that matter, _anybody _who knew the two who were currently traversing the streets, they will be in for a decent surprise. Who would have thought that those _two _would ever agree to walk on the same path?

Sougo gritted his teeth. Staring into the distance, he tried to keep his cool as a redhead walked behind him with a distinct unwilling air. It was hard, seeing as the Yato had wasted a huge amount of unnecessary time on his part.

"_Where's Sadaharu?" the redhead had exclaimed all of a sudden as they were getting ready to leave. "Where's Sadaharu? Where are you, Sadaharu?"_

The captain shook his head resignedly; the china girl had spent at least an hour combing the entire length of the apartment, yelling for that monstrous dog of hers with that thick accent of hers. She actually even had the audacity to rope him into the search... the gall of her. When she had looked ready to start breaking doors in her anxiety, there had been a bark from the floor below. It turns out that the old granny in the Snack shop had taken custody of the huge dog for the time being; the Yato had obviously not been in the correct frame of mind to take care of her own pet. The dog will probably have starved to death in that one week that she had gone AWOL in her own mind.

"Hey," a voice resonated behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a pair of defiant eyes staring at him. Despite himself, he was amazed at how fast the Yato was turning to her former self. Did the world's most powerful race possess legendary mental healing abilities in addition to their physical ones…? Wait, that wasn't logical. If that was the case, she will hardly have converted into a shut-in overnight in the first place, sucking her own thumb in a corner of the sofa.

"What is it?" Sougo inquired impassively. "Spit it out, I don't have time to chat about Barbie dolls with you."

He thought he saw a vein pop at her forehead; he smirked, taunting her was getting fun again.

"I don't play with Barbie dolls, bastard," the redhead said threateningly. "I will kill you if you ever say that again, uh-huh."

"Then, what is it? Don't waste my time, China. You already took up an entire slice of my precious life with that nonsensical dog of yours."

The Yato met his eyes with a defiant gaze.

"You haven't answered me," the redhead asked with an almost hesitant air. "You haven't answered the question I asked you just now."

Sougo raised an eyebrow. Did she ask him a question? Oops, it must have been so insignificantly stupid that it had totally slipped his mind.

"Question…?" the captain repeated nonchalantly as he walked. "What question was it? Sorry, my memory isn't that good."

The redhead actually shook a fist in his direction. Her eyes slowly averted away from him.

"That last question I asked you…" she expressed softly, tentatively. "…who died trying to save who?"

Sougo clenched his fists; the Yato had asked him a particularly sensitive topic right there. Would she revert to her traumatized state if he gave her the most probable answer at that point in time? Will she cry about a bunch of senseless deaths if he told her that the Boss might have _died_? What should he do? Whatever happens, he did not wish to lug a deadweight emo girl around in his investigation. It will slow down his search by a considerable extent after all. Yet, it might just be the trigger that had restored the china girl's destroyed mind. If he lied and said that it was just a joke, she might hide in her delusional and pathetic shell again. If he told the truth, she might hide in her delusional and pathetic shell again. What was he supposed to do; utter a half-truth that stinks of a half-lie?

He narrowed his eyes; the question can wait. The answers were more vital at the moment. Yet, he will have to approach in a cautious and nonchalant way; the redhead was never one to wait patiently for an answer. She was one to _take _that answer, regardless of whether it was consensual or _forcibly._

"I will tell you once we establish the verification," the captain said casually. "I-"

"Tell me _now_, Super Sadist," the Yato insisted. "I need to know…"

Sougo looked on impassively as the redhead stared blankly at the floor, a look of confusion spread on those China-esque features of hers.

"I was surrounded by these… blocks…" the Yato mumbled with a slight edge to her voice. The captain's crimson eyes narrowed. Was she trying to relate the entire experience trapped in her own mind? "They were huge and… scary… no matter what I did, I couldn't find my way out of them…"

The redhead shook her head slowly, before slowly inclining her gaze to meet his stoic stare.

"Then, I heard words…" the Yato continued hesitantly. "I don't really remember what they were… but for some reason, they caused me to go all… shocked…"

Sougo contemplated as he looked at the girl's tentative profile. Now that he thought about it, the fact that China did not react to the news that Boss had died but rather, the _news_ that Boss had _died _trying to save her… what did it mean? Was she simply not used to being protected, what with her headstrong and bullish personality? Or was it simply a coincidence, during which the girl decided to awake from her own nightmare on a whim? Or maybe… it was because he had expressed the words in the wrong way in the first place…

The redhead looked at him searchingly; her ocean blue eyes laced with curiosity and… _apprehension_. The captain furrowed his eyebrows. There was no mistake about it; the girl had subconsciously registered the words in the first place, but had merely ignored their calls with her willpower alone. The words might have awoken the girl from her nightmare, but they could serve to plunge her into it again. There was no other choice. He will have to stall this out and get his answers first.

"China," Sougo said calmly, his crimson eyes never leaving those blue ones. "Listen to me."

The Yato did not deviate from her gaze either; on the contrary, she had a fiery look going on in those eyes of hers. The girl was replacing her weirdly soft-spoken demeanour with her usual hot-headed one, probably at the spur of the moment alone. The captain subconsciously smirked; China was going to be in for a pleasant surprise when she finds out that she had actually _spoken softly_ to the guy she hated the most…

"I don't expect you to take my words for it," Sougo continued. "But I stake my honour as a samurai on this…"

He gazed intensely at the redhead. She looked taken aback.

"I will tell you after _everything _is over…"

O O O

The captain was impassive as he stood before a painfully familiar crime scene. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw a confused redhead gazing ahead. If he was not wrong, he thought that he saw… vague _recognition _in those blue eyes of hers.

"So, China…" Sougo spoke up, before trailing off. The Yato was still looking at the area ahead with a distinct muddled air. The captain narrowed his eyes and cleared his throat.

"China."

The redhead finally responded to him. Averting her gaze, she landed her eyes on the light-brown haired man in front of her.

"What do you want, Super Sadist?" the Yato asked not-too-gently.

The captain sighed, before pointing a finger at the alleyway in question.

"Is this particular area," Sougo expressed slowly. "The one you saw… _stuff _in?"

The redhead did not seem to comprehend his question at first glance. She simply looked at him with a bemused air. The captain gritted his teeth and proceeded to reiterate the question, before the Yato cut him off with a biting remark.

"I got your question the first time, asshole," the redhead said cuttingly. Sougo did not flinch at the sudden _insult_, but he did register the renewed tone that the girl reserved specially for _him._ Honestly, should he feel honoured or offended…? Nevertheless, it just means that China was more or less back to her original fiery and hot-headed disposition. It worked in the positive in a lot of ways, but the captain did express some 'gloom' at the disappearance of the soft-spoken and subservient girl just a few hours ago. It had been fun… _creepily fun_ watching her grovel at his feet… in a way.

"What are you smirking at, bastard?" the Yato demanded brusquely. "You give me the creeps. Are you…"

The girl's eyes widened. Covering herself exaggeratedly with a pair of milky-white hands, she glared at him so fiercely that a normal man will have winced… cringed even. Sougo did not perform either of the aforementioned reactions, but did consent to raise a sceptical eyebrow. What was she trying to _cover _exactly?

"You pervert…" the redhead accused. "Were you trying to stare down the _unripe _fruits of a maiden?

Sougo stared at her blankly for a moment, before breaking into a dry laugh. The redhead looked shocked by his sudden gesture. At least, he thought that she looked _shocked._ It might have been anger or horrified or some other crude expression that only China could possibly make.

"What are you laughing at, asshole?" the Yato asked irritably. "Do you want me to punch you?"

The captain slowly caught himself, his laughs subsiding into little chuckles that were hardly audible. Looking at the redhead, who looked taken aback yet again by his sudden intensity, he allowed himself a small smile.

"I will never have thought that I will actually say this…" Sougo murmured. "But I actually prefer the old you… amazing…" He trailed off hesitantly.

"What did you say?" the redhead asked with a tint of curiosity in her query. "You're too soft for a guy, Super Sadist. Wait, I forgot you aren't a guy."

The captain hardly took in the implied insult; he was trying to get his act together. Something was evidently wrong with him. Since when did he actually _laugh _openly in front of others? Shaking his head, he tried to clear all the excessive thoughts running through his mind. There will be time to explore this weird development in the later stages, but it was hardly the time for it now.

"Never mind me, China," Sougo said, his voice restoring its firm and impassive edge. "Just answer my question."

The redhead surprised him; she actually knew how to read situations. After meeting his intensified gaze with an initial puzzled expression, she swiftly glanced at the secluded area right behind the captain.

When the Yato finally spoke, the captain's hackles were practically raised. This was what he had aimed for right from the start; the Yato's own words that might just confirm a significant half of his conjecture… and lead to the recovery of two insignificant figures in his life.

"Yeah… this was where… I saw… their heads… fly off…" the redhead expressed hesitantly. Sougo saw her fists clench at her sides.

"This was where... Gin-chan and Shinpachi... went away from me..."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, guys! I took quite a while to write this chapter, and I apologise for my delay. On another note, I should be churning out chapters at a faster rate soon ;)**


	10. Chapter 9: Inaudible Terror

**Genre: Drama/Mystery**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama or any of the characters.**

* * *

**Gintama: Sinister Arc**

* * *

Kagura was not feeling her best that day… that past week to be exact.

Right after witnessing some crazy blood fests and gruesome heads rolling around on the floor, she had found herself trapped in this stone-like room, with four solid and plaintive walls practically encapsulating her. That wasn't the worst part; she will have been able to break out of any boring and mortal wall after all. What was horrifying were the strangulating blocks that literally _blocked _off all routes around her. They were dark and dull, sinister and menacing; terrifyingly close to her, restricting nearly all movement. In fact, for the first time of her life, she had felt… _claustrophobic._

She had succumbed to the pressure, sitting down and trying to ignore the big ass blocks in her way. It had been hard, but she had managed to do it. Before long, she was snoozing on the grey floor for what seemed like an eternity… until voices began to jerk her out of her stupor.

They were faint, vague… inaudible even. The Yato had loudly requested for them to tune up their volumes, but they never complied. The sounds will be there, soft and murmuring, and she had no freaking idea what they were trying to tell her. Were they trying to tell her to quit sleeping and start doing something? It was too troublesome, so she chose to bail out on that option. Were they trying to tell her to get up and start making her way out? It was too creepy, with all these giant blocks looking like they wanted to eat her up. Besides, Gin-chan has always told her to follow her instincts. At that very moment, her instincts were telling her to rest on the spot and wait for the blocks to dissolve or something.

Slowly, the redhead learnt not to pay too much attention to whatever the voices were trying to say. It lasted for a pretty long while… until somehow, someway, a voice managed to sound… _normal_. For some reason, that had proved to be the catalyst for the destruction of her jail-like surroundings.

Intrigued, Kagura had sat upright and swivelled her head almost in an entire turn. There was nobody in sight, yet the voice was still speaking…

"…_died trying… save you…"_

The Yato had paused, her eyes widening despite herself. Died…? Save…? Her…? What did the voice mean? Did somebody… _die to save her_?

Her Yato blood had seemed to boil at the very statement. Getting to her feet, her face was pulled in an unusually serious expression. She had made an explicit pledge to protect others with _her _blood. She did not make a pledge to have others protect _her _blood.

"Sorry, blocks," Kagura had whispered threateningly. "You got to go. You're in my way, uh-huh."

With that, she began to destroy the nearest blocks with her parasol, sending them to oblivion amidst concentrated and intense cries…

The next thing that she knew, she was staring at the back of a more-than-familiar figure. Her eyebrows scrunched instinctively; it was none other than the profile of the idiotic, sadistic freak from the corrupted police force. Yet, she still felt compelled to voice out her query. What had the voice meant? What had the voice wanted to imply? She had to _know._

"Hey… Super Sadist…" Kagura had uttered, only to realize that her mouth was sounding weird. It seemed… dry… raspy even. Was it because she hadn't been talking for a long time? Nevertheless, she had to continue her sentence. If that sadist ever knew that she was afraid of _blocks_, she will without a doubt be plagued with his taunts and insults for the rest of her entire life.

"… Who died trying to save who…?"

O O O

At the very moment, she was still following a certain sadistic and twisted creep. To be honest, she had _insisted _on following him. After all, he had let slip that he was going to visit Shinpachi, and she had wanted to see him as well. She wanted to tell the bespectacled teenager that she had seen his head being cut off in some creepy area, and it was so realistic that she could have sworn that it was _real_. Yet, to her surprise, the sadist had actually tried to _forbid_ her from approaching the idiot otaku.

"No, you're not following me this time, China," the creep had said once they had gone through the entire alleyway thingy. For some reason, she had felt tremors at the mere sight of the area. It was as if the killings had actually _happened_. "I thank you for all the time you have had to spend with me, but it's over now. You can go home and swallow that old granny along with the rest of your food."

Kagura had clenched her fists. The sadist had the sheer _audacity _to command her…? She does not take orders from anybody except the people she respected in her life, and the light-brown haired creep was certainly not one of them. Besides, the sadist had said that he will answer her long-overdue question. Who had _died trying to save her?_

"It's none of your business if I want to visit Shinpachi, Super Sadist," the redhead had blustered. "And, answer my question already."

The sadist had looked surprised, startled even.

"Question?" he had tried to act dumb. "What question? I didn't hear any. Did you?"

Kagura had gritted her teeth and shook her fist at the creep.

"We went through this before, sadistic freak," she uttered angrily. "You said you will tell me once this whole thing was over."

To her surprise, the creep did not look displaced by the accusation. On the contrary, he actually looked intensely at her.

"What did I say, China?" the sadist had said in that irritatingly impassive tone. "Repeat it for me, please. I didn't catch what I said."

Kagura had sighed.

"This is why you will never amount to anything, creep," the redhead had taunted with satisfaction. "Your mind lacks the required materials, uh-huh."

She had paused with a smirk.

"You said that you will _tell me the answer once everything was over_," the redhead had said with relish. "And you staked your samurai's balls or whatever on it as well, so no going back on it, uh-huh…"

She had trailed off. To her surprise and bewilderment, the sadist was smirking in return. He should be sad, wasn't he? Not to the point of crying… but surely some pathetic and crumpled figure on the ground will suffice. She was definitely not expecting him to be… grinning in that twisted fashion of his, that's for sure.

"What are you smirking at, sadist?" Kagura had demanded. "Give me the answer. You're cornered now."

That filthy smirk never faded. The redhead was tempted to wipe it away for him; with her parasol and a trusty fist.

"Did I ever say that I will tell you once the verification was over?" the sadist had inquired maddeningly.

Kagura had been irritated beyond measure. Were the ball sacks of samurais so vague and unimportant that they could actually go back on their own words?

"You said it yourself, creep," the redhead almost spat. "You said _everything_-"

"That's right. Did I ever say that the verification was _everything_?"

Kagura had held her words, eyes widening at the sadist's abrupt statement. His smirk was getting even filthier, if it was even possible. She had lost and he _knew _it.

"You… you bastard…" the redhead had drawn her parasol, pointing it in a threatening fashion against the light-brown haired man. "You tricked me…"

The creep had openly shrugged his shoulders, greeting her with that irritating smile of his.

"I never tricked you," he had said composedly. "You just chose to interpret that in your own China way, that's all."

"Bastard…" the Yato had charged forward. "Die, creep-"

"But I did stake my honour," the sadist had said. Despite herself, Kagura had ceased in mid-charge. "And I don't intend to go back on it. I don't want to commit seppuku after all. Thus, I will complete my end of the deal at the end of _everything_."

The redhead had eyed him suspiciously. Was the creep actually trying to say the truth or simply making a desperate attempt at dissuading her from piercing through his throat? It was a tough bet, but she supposed she will have to go with the former. Now that she thought about it, killing the bastard will hardly do any good for herself. There will just be a disgusting, defiled figure on the ground. Her appetite might just be destroyed, and that's a huge no-no.

Kagura withdrew her parasol to her side, pondering heavily.

"Very well, sadistic freak," the redhead had conceded with a sigh. "I will believe you just _this time_…"

"Great," the sadist barely reacted. Turning on his heels, he proceeded to advance. "Now that we got it cleared up and all, I will be on my way-"

The tip of a purple parasol was suddenly at his throat. Kagura had smirked darkly as he slowly turned his head and looked at her.

"I haven't finished my sentence," the redhead had grinned. "How do I know that you won't go back on your words at the end? I will just have to supervise you, uh-huh."

The distinctly disgruntled look on the sadist's face had never been more pleasing to the eye.

O O O

"Are we there yet?" Kagura complained, clutching her stomach. The streets seemed to stretch forever. "I'm hungry, uh-huh."

The creep did not acknowledge her comment. In fact, he didn't even turn around. He definitely didn't _turn around _and say," Oh, you're hungry! That's bad! Let's go and fill up your stomach, you poor thing!" Wait, that actually sounds pretty disgusting coming from the mouth of the sadistic freak, so it could pass for all she cares.

"Hey, don't ignore me, creep," the redhead said loudly. "How long more do we have to walk until we reach that four-eye's place?"

"Probably around ten minutes," a crisp reply flowed to her ears. It did not appease her; as far as she was concerned, anything more than one minute was sure as hell not _appeasing_. "But then, if you're hungry, you can stop following me. I won't mind, I assure you."

Kagura snorted.

"Nice try, creep," she commented. "But I'm following you to the ends of the Earth… Hell even if I need to."

"Aww, that's so sweet…" the sadist made a chilling, cooing noise. "If it wasn't the fact that you were China, I will have fallen head over heels in love with you- nah, I will probably engage you in my whip and lash games, that's all."

"Don't dirty my mind with all your sick games, bastard. I'm a growing young girl. What will you do if you pollute my beauty with your disgusting words?"

There came a snort, this time from the other end.

"Don't worry, China," the creep said derisively. "Your beauty won't be polluted no matter what I say. It's non-existent after all."

Kagura gritted her teeth, stomping forward with rapid paces.

"Bastard… that's the end of your life-"

She crashed into something solid, _hard_. Flinging her arms wildly at her sides, she barely managed to keep her balance. Looking up blearily, she saw the sadist standing still, staring straight ahead.

"Hey, what did you stop for?" Kagura protested vehemently.

The creep slowly looked at her over his own shoulder.

"I stopped because we are here, obviously," he pointed out. "What did you think I stopped for… to get you some food?"

The redhead rubbed her eyes and focused on the sight ahead. The creep had stated the truth; they were indeed in front of Shinpachi's residence.

"Didn't you say that we will need at least ten minutes more?" Kagura demanded. "Bastard, how dare you play with a maiden's feelings?"

"I thought you said you were hungry?" the creep inquired, arching an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be happy that we didn't take ten minutes instead?"

The redhead couldn't get excited. The only food available in Shinpachi's residence was hardly edible, seeing as how… _potent _Anego's cooking actually was; to be honest, everyone knew how... hang on, did the creep know about it?

A smirk sneaked across the Yato's face. The sadist will be in for a huge surprise soon. Perhaps it will actually be too _huge _for him. She had her fingers crossed for it, that's for sure.

"Hey."

The redhead was snapped out of her brief daze. Blinking, she met those crimson eyes of the sadist; his gaze was pretty intense.

"What is it?" Kagura replied defiantly. "I have a name, bastard. Call me by it-"

"When I meet the boy, don't follow me inside. Wait outside for me until I'm done."

The redhead stared at him blankly. The words sounded foreign to her. If she was not wrong, the sadist was actually _telling_ her to stay away from Shinpachi.

"What do you mean?" the Yato could not help but reiterate the question. Surely she had heard wrongly?

"I said… don't follow me inside when I see the boy. Wait outside while I get the things done. Do you understand?"

There was a stoic silence, during which Kagura's hand closed over the handle of her parasol tightly.

"Bastard…" the redhead whispered threateningly. "Are you telling me not to see Shinpachi?"

The creep did not even attempt to deny the blatant accusation; he simply nodded curtly. It was as if it was a natural and logical fact to him.

"Glad you got it so fast, China," the sadist said, almost appraisingly. "Not bad, I must say-"

The redhead lunged forward with a clenched fist; the creep reflexively dodged her pre-emptive strike, stepping smartly to the side.

"Hey, watch where you're going. If I didn't know better, I could have sworn that you were trying to punch me."

Kagura snarled as she whipped around and leaped for the consecutive time. "You didn't get it wrong, bastard. I'm _trying to punch _the hell out of you."

The sadist stood still, watching her impassively. Just when she was about to make contact, he began mouthing words. Despite herself, she read his lips, eyes widening when the inaudible words made their mark. Her fist ceased in mid-strike, dangling in the air almost listlessly.

She didn't know why she stopped; she didn't even know why the words had made such an impact on her. Heck, she didn't even know if the sadist was lying as usual. Yet… yet, something tells her that he was _definitely _stating the truth right there and then. The way that he had stood still, ready to receive her punch and still say those words did not reek of a lie. He had _told the truth_, at least as far as he was concerned.

"If you got it, let's go," the creep stated impassively, walking to the wooden doors and opening them unabashedly. "I don't have much time to waste right now."

Kagura watched blankly as he stepped inside the threshold of the residence, the inaudible words still ringing in her mind. It was funny how they were inaudible, yet still managed to reverberate around her head as though they were audible in the first place…

"_He's terrified of you..."_

* * *

**A/N: I'm going to be honest, guys. I didn't expect to write ten freaking chapters and still not get into the meat of it all. Nevertheless, thanks for reading my story... and I sincerely hope that you guys will enjoy the upcoming chapters as well! ;) **


	11. Chapter 10: Nightmares and Slip-ups

**Genre: Drama/Mystery**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama or any of the characters... with some possible exceptions.**

**A/N: I don't know if any of you actually read my other story, A Second Chance, but I'm just going to mention it here anyway. Sorry, guys, I will be starting that story after finishing this one. Before you start throwing rotten eggs, or even 'I don't give a ****' eggs at me, I will just like to say that I'm in a fix regarding that particular story and I need to think more about it before advancing further. I'm sure that you guys won't want a half-assed story with tons of loopholes as well, right? ;)**

* * *

**Gintama: Sinister Arc**

* * *

"Shin-chan!" there was a crisp knock on the door.

Shimura Shinpachi looked up from the photo album he had been studying; he turned around with a curious air.

"What is it, Ane?" the bespectacled teenager called in response.

The door slid open to reveal a woman with her brown hair tied back in a ponytail. Despite himself, the teenager could not help but gulp at the beautiful exterior of his own _sister_. It was downright immoral and crazy to even think about it, but he couldn't help it. His mind had locked all memories of his friends and family away, and that included his sister as well. As a result, it felt as though he had lunged into one of those animes that catered to lonely and tissue-scrunching males; seeing as he finds himself alone in an entire estate with a beautiful woman who seems to care for him beyond what a normal sister will do.

Shimura Tae stepped into the room, her pleasant disposition marred by a slight flick of annoyance.

"Didn't I ask you to address me by the same term you always did?" his sister chided. "When you say _Ane_, it sounds as though I'm only your sister in name."

Shinpachi smiled awkwardly; fact was… he had been too shy to address her by the informal and uncomfortably… _close _term of _Ane-ue_. He didn't even remember her, for freaking sake. It will be like he was calling a random stranger on the road by his or her first name.

"Sorry… I'm still getting used to it…" the teenager replied hesitantly.

Otae's face visibly softened.

"It's alright, Shin-chan," she said softly. "What matters is that you are safe and sound…"

She paused for a brief moment, before letting out a gasp.

"Ah, I totally forgot!" Otae exclaimed. "Shin-chan, you have a visitor!"

Shinpachi looked at her blankly. Who will be visiting him at this time of the day?

"Who is it, Ane-"

"Hello, Shinpachi. Hope I'm not intruding here."

A light-brown haired male clad in a black uniform stepped in around the corner of the door, a deadpan expression on his face.

"You are…?" the teenager found himself asking.

The young man looked at him with what seemed to be an intense gaze. Shinpachi barely managed to avoid flinching at that pair of crimson eyes directed at him.

"It appears that you are really amnesiac…" the light-brown haired male uttered softly. Stepping forward, he approached a distinctly discomfited Shinpachi.

"My name is Okita Sougo, and I am the captain of the Shinsengumi's first division. Will it be fine if I ask you some questions?"

O O O

Otae excused herself to let them converse in private. Shinpachi watched her go with a fleeting sense of regret; even if he had not remembered her, she will have at the very least provided the presence of a third person. Somehow, he did not relish the prospect of being alone with this particular person. For some reason or another, the other seemed kind of… _imposing_. Or maybe it was just his inferiority complex acting up at the captain's striking good looks.

Seated on the floor with their eyes greeting each other, a brief silence ensued before the light-brown haired man cleared his throat.

"So… Shinpachi…" Sougo spoke.

"Yes?" Shinpachi replied a tad too hastily. He flinched at the discerning gaze of the captain.

"Before we get everything started, I just want to know…"

The bespectacled teenager instinctively recoiled as Sougo leant forward in his place.

"Yes…?" Shinpachi mumbled hesitantly. What was up with the guy?

The captain was silent for a moment.

"How much do you remember? Or rather…"

Shinpachi froze in place.

"What _can _you remember?"

O O O

Shinpachi had, to be honest, never been so glad to end a conversation before… that was before he had been _interrogated_ by the captain of the Shinsengumi. Deep down, he felt that even the session with Hijikata wasn't as tense or as painfully long. In fact, he would _rather _that he had been asked by the vice-commander himself, rather than this seemingly even more imposing captain.

"I-Is it done?" the bespectacled teenager mumbled. "Am I free to go?"

The captain did not reply; he simply sat there with an impervious air, staring into space thoughtfully.

Shinpachi wanted to add on to his earlier sentence, but feared a possible backlash by the evidently unpredictable captain before him. What if the captain went all irritated and arrested him on the spot for some crime of interruption? Yet, he seriously didn't want to spend another minute with the other. He was feeling constricted, _restricted_ by the captain's presence alone.

"What should I do…?" the bespectacled teenager thought. "Should I try to-"

"Hey."

Shinpachi instinctively looked up to see the captain gazing at him.

"Yes…?" the teenager voiced with a tinge of relief. It was about time…

"Let me get this straight," Sougo droned. "You don't remember anybody save for the ones you had encountered after you first woke up in a foreign room and after that just hid in this room for the rest of your sad life?"

Shinpachi's right eye twitched relentlessly; had the captain just taken a dig at him? But… he could not dispute the other's accusations. The fact was that he had indeed closed himself in his own room once he had returned home. He couldn't help it; the last thing he had remembered after entering an apartment of some sort was traversing some hallway. The next thing he recalled, he was in a totally different room with a worried woman beside him. The interval in between was totally impossible to grasp.

The bespectacled teenager bit his lip as he slowly nodded his head.

Sougo did not say anything for a moment. The next second, he was up on his feet and walking away from the teenager. Shinpachi felt a surge of intense relief.

"Um…" the teenager breathed quickly. "Are you going-"

He froze; the captain had opened a drawer of his most treasured items and was rummaging in the stuff uninvited.

Shinpachi could hardly breathe. Everything he had treasured was stashed neatly in that particular drawer and the captain had actually pointed it out at first look; looking through it as if they were his _own_. The teenager wanted to fly into a rage, but fear of the captain kept him in place. Clenching his fists at his side, he mustered the courage to make a comment.

"Um… Okita-san…" the teenager said hesitantly. "What are you looking for-"

He stared blankly as the captain drew out something and dangled it in the air. It was the limited edition of a figure; and it was causing these crazy ripples through his heart.

"Do you remember this person?" Sougo asked, deadpanned.

Shinpachi could not even breathe. Something about it was causing him to go all crazy, yet he didn't know what it was. Slowly and tentatively, he shook his head.

"You don't remember her?" the captain asked. He gave the figure a long look, before positioning it between his hands. Shinpachi's heart seemed to clench.

"Well, if you don't remember her… I suppose I can just break her then."

A lion seemed to roar in the bespectacled teenager's heart; he wanted to shout that he actually _remembered _her. He closed his eyes with a flourish, trying his hardest to jerk some memory from his slumbering brain. Nothing gave.

"Wait!" Shinpachi gasped, reaching out a hand.

Sougo paused, looking at him blankly.

The bespectacled teenager breathed heavily as he stared at the dangling figure. It was something… something _important _to him, that much he was sure of. Why was it _important_, though? Why did he feel such a strong emotion at the mere sight of it?

"I think… I know that person…" Shinpachi said slowly. "I think…"

"Oh…?" Sougo replied curiously. Giving the figure another long look, he shrugged and to the teenager's ultimate horror, broke the figurine in _half_.

Everything seemed to flow in slow-motion. Shinpachi gazed with glassy eyes as the mutilated figurine fell through the air, limbs flinging uselessly in the air. When it finally landed on the floor, its eyes seemed to stare at him. A pair of eyes… filled with lamentation and resignation…

The teenager subconsciously twisted the front of his robes; his heart felt exceptionally heavy… and painful. Why…? Why was he so upset over a mere figurine? Was he actually upset over the figurine itself… or something else altogether? After all, when did the eyes of plastic dolls possess… _feelings_?

Sougo looked at him with an undiscernible gaze.

"So," the captain voiced casually, as if he had merely broken some spare rock off the ground. "Did that ring any bells in your mind?"

There was no answer. Sougo tapped his fingers on the brown woodwork just next to the drawer.

"Perhaps you did not hear my question…" the captain said slowly. "I asked… did that cause you to recall anything-"

"Shut up."

Sougo creased his eyebrows.

"What did you say-"

"I said, shut the hell up!"

There was a brief stoic silence, during which neither spoke up. Sougo was impassive in the face of a tempered Shinpachi; yet even the unexpected outburst did not serve to deter the captain.

"I heard that you went into a state of shock when you saw China," the light-brown haired man continued. "What did you see in that alleyway?"

"I told you…" the bespectacled teenager uncharacteristically gritted his teeth. "I… don't… remember… _anything_."

"Really…? Then why are you so emotional over the breaking of a little doll?" Sougo asked.

"It was because…" Shinpachi averted his eyes. "It was because it was a limited Edition of Otsuu-chan…"

"Oh…?" the captain expressed. "I thought that you can't remember the people around you?"

The bespectacled teenager did not meet his eyes as he uttered," I saw her on television, that's why…"

"Really…?" Sougo pressed on. "I thought that you didn't recognize her initially?"

Shinpachi found it hard to fend off the increasing accusations. How was he supposed to explain something that he didn't even know himself?

"I- I was confused back there, that's why-"

"You saw something, didn't you?" the captain interjected. "You saw something when I broke that doll."

The bespectacled teenager subconsciously bit his lips.

"I didn't-"

"Why are you hesitating? You saw something, didn't you? Why are you attempting to deny it when your own face had given away the truth?"

Shinpachi looked at the ground blankly. How was he supposed to explain that pair of lifeless eyes that were staring back at him? How was he supposed to explain that the sight was not the first in the past week? How was he supposed to say that he had been having these gruesome nightmares every single night, where a redhead with contracted pupils will dismember a silver-haired man right before his very eyes? He hadn't even mentioned them to his own sister, for fear of being judged as an insane teenager. What kind of sister will continue caring for her own brother after hearing such demented and twisted stories?

He inadvertently gasped; the captain was grasping him by his shoulders. The teenager tried to avoid the other's crimson eyes, gaze darting everywhere but the figure before him.

"Don't keep them to yourself, Shinpachi. Relate them to me. What did you _see_?"

"I can't… Okita-san… I can't-"

"You _can_. If Boss and China can do it, so can _you_."

Shinpachi slowly met the intense gaze of the captain. His fists shook at his sides.

"Can I? Can I really say them…?"

His eyes widened despite himself. It wasn't a light-brown haired man standing before him; it was the strangely familiar gaze of a pair of dead fish eyes before him. He watched blankly as the silver-haired man grinned.

"Of course you can tell me, idiot. Even if everyone else refuses to listen to you, I will always be here to lend a listening ear. That's what I'm here for in the first place."

O O O

Sougo closed the door after him, his expression impassive and brooding. He barely noticed when a redhead broke away from the side of the wall and started walking alongside him.

"What took you so long, sadist?" Kagura asked reproachfully. "I almost had to force myself to down Anego's food!

The captain arched an eyebrow. "So did you?"

"Of course not, creep. I wasn't _that _hungry."

They traversed the length of the hallway in silence, before the Yato took a deep breath.

"Was Shinpachi okay?" she mustered.

Sougo hardly reacted; she will not have been China if she hadn't even tried to eavesdrop on their conversation. "You heard everything?"

"Not everything…" Kagura replied hesitantly. "But I did hear some details…" she trailed off.

Sougo shot her a look out of the corner of his eye. "Don't worry, he's fine. He seemed a bit pale after regurgitating everything, but a bit of sleep should fix that."

"Everything?" the redhead expressed curiously. "Did he tell you everything? From what I heard, he was just telling you about his dreams, yup."

"So you did hear _everything_…" Sougo sighed. Gazing straight ahead, his eyebrows were furrowed. "To me, that was everything I needed."

"Needed?" Kagura inquired as she turned around a corner. "What did you need?"

The captain did not consent to pause. "The information of what exactly happened in those areas."

The Yato looked confused.

"But… Shinpachi just told you his dreams… they might not be the real thing…"

Sougo reached out a hand and opened a door. He subconsciously registered the sheer size of the entire estate. They could take ten minutes and still not reach the main entrance; that was how ridiculously gigantic the entire estate seemed to be.

"Coming from an oddly amnesiac person, the dreams are the best bet for me. Besides, they confirm what I had been expecting since day one, so I'm content with what I have."

Kagura creased her eyebrows. "And what did you get? Some idiotic thinking that the sky is red…?"

Sougo barely registered the cutting vibe; he could see the seated figure of a woman in the distance. To be honest, he was hesitant to converse about his theories before actually starting the searching. What if they were actually wrong…? Not that they were. It was a long shot, but he did seem to owe the Yato. It was a bummer, but telling her will hardly hurt.

"Sadly, no," the captain said crisply. "The sky was already blue, don't worry about it."

He narrowed his eyes.

"From the looks of it… there are not one, but _two _murderers responsible for the killings. They have their own specific killing styles, and from the gist of it, their own specific methods as well. However, there's a distinct similarity between their methods. Both of them plant fake visuals into victims' minds, crippling them with raw emotion and the paralyzing horror of sighting such scenes. Once they are immobilized, that's when the killers make their move. That will also be why there had always been two killings in each district, and why the victims were either stabbed through the throat or impaled through the head."

"So that's how they got me…" the redhead breathed. "What a bunch of sadistic freaks, letting a maiden see such stuff. Damn it."

She tilted her head. "Wait, since when were humans able to feed such gross stuff into others' minds?"

Sougo sighed despite himself.

"This is why you should eat more fishes and less rice, China. You will have more of a brain." He dodged a sharp jab aimed at his head. "Surely you could tell by now? They are not humans. They are Amantos."

"Amantos…?" Kagura withdrew her hand. "Amantos have been the ones killing all those humans?"

"Without a doubt," the captain replied softly. "No human could possess such skills, not even that mayo-loving freak or a sadistic Boss that I know-"

He caught himself, but it was too late. The redhead stopped in her tracks, seemingly hit by some elusive realization.

"Gin-chan…?" Kagura breathed. "Gin-chan… where's Gin-chan? Why haven't I seen him around?"

Sougo wasn't the type to hit himself for such a ridiculous slip-up; he was your too-cool and calm character who takes everything composedly. Besides, he hardly had to cover for his mistake, seeing as there was a perfect cover-up right ahead.

"Ah, Sister-in-law!" the captain announced himself cheerily, ignoring a pointed look from the redhead. "Sorry for- hmmm…?"

A fist loomed in his face.

O O O

"Did you two have a nice chat with Shin-chan?" Otae asked with that familiar smile on her face. They were seated on the floor opposite each other, with a brown wooden table separating them. "I do hope that he had been a good host."

"Yup, Anego," Kagura quipped. "We had a good chat with four-eye, so everything is fine."

Sougo, on the other hand, simply stared pointedly at Otae; his right cheek was a distinct purple, but it hardly bothered him at the moment.

He narrowed his eyes; the older woman's smile looked like it was being stretched against her own will. From the looks of it, her real question had not been the one she had posed, but rather a desperate one along the lines of," Did he recognize the two of you?" The captain was never one to bother with others' affairs, but the situation seemed to call for it. Besides, it might help in Kondo-san's love life, so all was positive.

"He will be fine," the captain said monotonously. The other two turned to look at him. "He's not weak. He will recover soon."

Otae did not look totally reassured, but her smile did lose some of its tightness. It was evident that she had been hoping for a slightly… _better_ reply.

"I see…" she said softly, looking at the floor. There was a stoic silence, before the older woman seemed to realize that the other two were looking at her.

"Sorry for ignoring the two of you like that…" she muttered apologetically. "Really, what's wrong with me today…"

The juniors did not say a word; they did not know what to say.

Slowly, Otae recovered her composure and looked at them again. Sougo had a bad feeling when she gazed at Kagura with a worried look.

"Kagura-chan," the older woman asked concernedly. "Are you alright?"

The redhead beamed as she replied," Never better, Anego."

Otae did not avert her gaze; seconds passed before she seemed to be finally convinced by the Yato's smile. Looking away, she reached for something on the floor and presented it on the table. The faces of the other two instantly darkened; it was a plate of ominously dark matter. In fact, in Sougo's eyes, there seemed to be an intense, charcoal-dark aura emanating from the _food _itself.

"I'm glad that you are feeling better, Kagura-chan…" the older woman commented as she set about pouring tea into cups. "You had us worried when you weren't yourself for the past week… but then, I'm glad that you have recovered… it's okay, Kagura-chan… they will find Gin-san for sure-"

"Ahem!" Sougo coughed. "Sorry, ladies, but I've got to go. Shinsengumi business, if you don't mind."

"Oh…" Otae looked up. "I see, that's a pity… but before you leave, please have some of these fried eggs-"

"It's fine, Sister- Otae-san," the captain got to his feet hurriedly. "I will pass on it just this time."

With that, he excused himself and took rapid steps in the direction of the main entrance.

O O O

"Idiotic woman…" Sougo muttered. "I actually did her a favour and she repays me with an exceptionally large mouth…"

The captain walked out of the Shimura estate, his eyes averting to the right. Almost simultaneously, he began to traverse the length of the walkway.

"Regardless…" Sougo thought. "I have a pretty good inkling by now. After all, if their bodies were not at the scene and they aren't dead…"

His crimson eyes narrowed.

"I have no idea why, but they were probably taken by those sadistic bastards. Perhaps they were abducted to be maids on some alien ship. Then again, I really couldn't care _less_ about two useless people on this planet."

He paused despite himself.

"The question now is… _where_ are them?"


	12. Chapter 11: Unmasked Assasins

**Genre: Drama/Mystery**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama or any of the characters... with some possible exceptions.**

**A/N: Hello, guys. So recently, I was inspired by this guy called G-POW, who included these exceptionally long and interesting rants in his fan fictions. As a result, I have decided to establish my own as well. I mean, they significantly increase the number of words- sorry, pretend that you didn't see that. **

* * *

**Gintama: Sinister Arc**

* * *

Tsukuyo leaned back against a vertical wall whose mud-brown upholstery was barely holding up on itself; taking long, deep breaths from the bitch-manufactured pipe that she held in her hand. The sunlight streaming in through the open wall on the side of the vapidly furnished store casted a faint orange glow over the reputed death god courtesan of Yoshiwara; it enhanced her natural beauty, yet also caused the scar that runs through the left side of her face to increase in prominence. She subconsciously held back a shudder; till this day, she still did not like the feeling of sunlight on her skin. It wasn't that it was particularly irritating or disturbing; it just felt foreign… _alien_. To be entirely honest, she actually prefers the never-ending chill of darkness. It might be suffocating and dark, but at least it still felt more _familiar _to her.

"What's wrong, Tsukuyo-nee?" a small voice piped up. "You look uncomfortable."

"Hmmm…?" The blonde slightly declined her stoic gaze to meet the curious ones of a young boy. Since when had he walked into the open-air store? "Seita…? Why are you here?"

She took a quick glance around the surroundings. "Where's Hinowa?"

The boy's eyes seemed to widen at her question.

"I thought she was with you, Tsukuyo-nee…" Seita said softly, looking around the open-air room as if his mother was hiding in a corner. "She said that she was going to find you…"

"Find me…?" Tsukuyo repeated wonderingly. It did not take seconds before she was standing upright, a hand on the sharp, flint kunai in her repertoire. "Where did you last see her, Seita?"

The boy seemed to react at the urgency in her question; taking rapid paces, he stepped out of the store and pointed in the direction to his right.

"We were at the dango store earlier on…" Seita mumbled uncertainly. "She asked me to enjoy the dango while she heads to find you… it was the last place I saw her- Tsukuyo-nee?"

"Stay here, Seita!" Tsukuyo called over her shoulder as she dashed off in the said direction. "Stay in the room! I will recover your mother for you!"

"Wait, Tsukuyo-nee!" the boy shouted, waving his arms. "I also want to go-"

He trailed off; the blonde was gone from his sight. Creasing his eyebrows, he began to sprint after her.

"I'm not taking orders from you, Tsukuyo-nee," he thought defiantly. "Not this _time_."

O O O

"Dango shop…?" Tsukuyo murmured softly as she searched the perimeter with keen eyes. All she saw were lecherous old men with young girls at their belt. "Where-"

A loud exclamation erupted out of nowhere. The blonde froze in place, her hands shaking at her sides. That voice was not just familiar, it was _ominously _familiar. She instantly flung a kunai into the grip of her teeth and charged in the direction of the outburst. At least… she _hoped _that it was the correct direction. She really didn't want to break down a door in some enclosed room and interrupt probable love-making sessions.

"Hinowa," Tsukuyo shouted through her teeth. "Where are you-"

She caught a secluded part of the area in the corner of her eye; she inadvertently let out a gasp, the kunai amidst the clenches of her pearly white teeth falling to the floor with a reverberating clatter. Her eyes widened; someone was looming over a stoic, staring Hinowa with a weapon. She subconsciously registered the older woman's disposition; even in the face of death, Hinowa refused to back down, literally staring death in the face with no visible sign of fear.

Upon hearing the loud, incessant noise, the assassin turned around, saw the incoming Tsukuyo and took flight through the streets instantly. This sudden twist of action caused the hesitating blonde to regain control of her own senses; the next second, she was in hot pursuit. Couples on the sidewalk were rudely jerked out of their non-too-secret affections, taking in the sudden chase down the road with distinct surprise.

"Wait, you-"

Tsukuyo held her breath, deep blue eyes gradually widening. There was something familiar about that particular weapon… something _exceptionally _familiar.

"That sword…" Tsukuyo thought, before dismissing it from her mind. It wasn't possible, and she had a man to chase. Such idle thoughts could be entertained later. She gripped a deadly kunai in between the slender fingers of her hand.

Clicking her teeth, she sent a well-aimed kunai through the air. It raced through the air, slitting the cloth that hid the mysterious person's face and sending it floating to the floor. Without hesitation, Tsukuyo sped forward and shot a side way glance at the now unmasked assassin.

"Let's see who you are-"

Tsukuyo's kunai dropped onto the floor with a loud clatter. She stood there, frozen in place as the assassin made his getaway.

An inadvertent gasp erupted behind her. Startled, she whirled around to see a shocked boy staring blankly at the fleeing figure. "Seita…?"

"Wasn't that…" Seita mumbled, his mouth open. "Wasn't that Gin-san?"

O O O

Sougo was perusing through several stacks of papers half-heartedly when the door opened. He looked up to see the vice-captain of his division stepping slowly around the corner of the entrance, a look of hesitation evident on the other's face.

"What is it, Kumanaku-san?" the captain asked, putting aside his papers. He had a feeling that the vice-captain had more useful information than the buck load of crap he had been flipping through. "Had there been another killing-"

"Captain…" Kumanaku said slowly, his gaze stuck to the plain, solid floor.

Sougo narrowed his eyes. "What is _it_, Vice-captain?"

The vice-captain did not avert his gaze from the suddenly attractive and eye-catching floor.

"Someone from the second division… came back injured… Captain-"

The captain sighed and returned his attention to the stack of papers. His gut feeling had been conspicuously wrong. "Leave that to the medics, idiot."

"Wait, captain…" Kumanaku added. Despite himself, Sougo looked at him out of the corner of his eye. Something was wrong with the vice-captain; since when had he expressed such hesitation and tentativeness when communicating with the captain?

"Continue, Kumanaku," Sougo said. "There's something more important here, isn't there?"

The vice-captain actually shifted his feet. There was no doubt about it, the captain thought, something was definitely wrong.

"The victim…" Kumanaku expressed in a barely audible tone. "The victim… was protecting a civilian from… a masked assassin…" he trailed off.

The captain's interest was piqued by the sudden development. "Masked assassin? Was it one of the murderers pillaging the entire capital?"

There was no reply. Puzzled, Sougo directed his full attention to the vice-captain who was looking at the ridiculously hot and attention-gripping floor blankly. "Please stop ogling that carpet of mine, Vice-captain. I could actually sue you for adultery. But more importantly, why did you stop, vice-captain? _Continue._"

Kumanaku flinched at the steely bite in the captain's voice; he steadily inclined his gaze, finally meeting Sougo's with a pair of shivering eyes.

"I-I don't know… Captain," the vice-captain said slowly. He seemed to be losing his half-assed resolve; he was beginning to flirt with the floor again. "I don't know… whether he was one of the murderers…"

The captain could feel ire consuming him. Since when did the Shinsengumi become filled with such stuttering and hesitant idiots? He had thought that he had the worst of luck when he had been forced to contend with that idiot of a rapper; now he had to tolerate this guy who doesn't even seem capable of stringing three simple words together without rasping like an old man.

"Spit… it… _out_," Sougo said irritably. His hand rested on the sheath of his sword; if the other stuttered even _once, _he's going to rip his guts out… literally.

The vice-captain winced at the cutting tone, but did not lower his gaze. Visibly gulping, he began to speak. Thankfully, it was finally a rather smooth and comprehensible one. "H-He managed to uncover the identity of the assassin, Captain…"

"Hmmm…?" the captain sat up on his seat, looking intently at the other. "And who was it?"

Kumanaku visibly hesitated, before steeling his gaze. What he said sent shockwaves through the captain's system, dispelling all pre-thought notions and condemning them to dust. Sougo realized at that very moment that all of his investigations had seemed to be for nothing. After all, he didn't actually need to search for those two lumbering fools when they were _coming_ to him, did he?

"I-It was none other than him, Captain… Hijikata-san himself…"

O O O

In a dimly lit murky, greenish grey cavern, two figures were bowed on the gritted floor right before a ridiculously high flight of steps. At the very pinnacle of the steps was a throne; on which sat a barely discernible figure. Dark shadows seemed to wrap themselves around the seated individual, hiding her face and body to the point of near obscurity.

"I told you _not _to send those idiots out there, didn't I?" one of the bowing figures said with distinct annoyance in his voice. "I _told _you."

The other did not consent to reply.

"Now look at what you did," the annoyed figure continued. "Even with their pea-sized brains, they are bound to latch onto us sooner or later. What are you going to do if that happens, eh, Azrael?"

Again, the said Azrael refused to reply. He simply kept his gaze directed at the floor.

"I told you-"

"That's enough, Thanatos," a voice echoed from above. Without any hesitation, the bowed figures inclined their gaze to meet the one sitting on the throne. "What's done is done."

"But, Empress…" the said Thanatos whined. "He screwed everything up! All of our careful preparations…"

"Shut up, Thanatos," Azrael finally spoke up. "You also agreed to my suggestion. Stop pinning all the blame on me."

"Oh my, you're finally talking," Thanatos replied sarcastically. "I thought that the cat actually got your tongue… not that you have any in the first place, of course."

The figure seated on the throne emitted a weary sigh as her deputies began to argue between themselves… for probably the nth time in a single century. "Silence, please."

Almost instantaneously, the bickering couple held back any further words. They looked up with distinct abashed expressions.

The Empress observed them stoically for a moment. "It hardly matters now. They will have started piecing the parts by themselves in time. They merely started to do it at an earlier date than we expected. It's not that important. Besides…" she paused. "We should have instilled enough fear in them."

Thanatos and Azrael did not reply; they gazed upon the empress with a distinct form of reverence.

"Nevertheless, it just means that we have to put our plans in motion earlier as well," the figure seated on the throne said.

The bowed figures smirked in anticipation… or rather, Thanatos smirked. Azrael was impassive in his stoic gaze. "Really, Empress…? We can finally launch them?" Thanatos asked energetically.

There was a brief silence, before the Empress obliged to reply. For one fleeting moment, Thanatos and Azrael thought that she actually voiced the words in an almost... _jubilant_ tone; but then, it was ludicrously impossible. After all, their revered Empress had never even _smiled_ ever since the day she was ruthlessly casted out by fellows she thought her own.

"Yes, my boys. It's time for phase two- send out the sprites."

* * *

**A/N: Alright, as I was saying, I was inspired by this G-POW guy- forget it, just scroll back up and read what I wrote. In any case, I have decided to incorporate a ranting section for my own benefit right at the end of every chapter. ;) I doubt that anyone will want to hear my monotonous rants... but I will strive to replace my broken hip with that funny bone... alright, I concede- I lack a basic sense of humour. I hate to say this, but I will have to give up- just kidding. Anyways, thanks for sticking with me throughout eleven freaking chapters of gore, blood, non-existent humour, M18 stuff and more gore. Here's a cookie just for you guys! ;) Watch out though, there might just be a sharp needle hidden in that cookie of yours. ;)**


	13. Chapter 12: White Eyes

**Genre: Drama/Mystery**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama or any of the characters... with some possible exceptions.**

**A/N: Hello, guys. How's it going? Well, it's not going so well for me, I'm afraid. I just spent a crap load of money on the Bentendo 3DS- oh yeah, I'm authorized to state the real name here. Well, I spent nearly 350 on a freaking Nintendo 3DS, and it sure as hell blew a hole in my non-existent pocket. I will probably have to grit it out and survive on parfaits for the rest of the month- no, not those dreamy parfaits that you see in animes. I'm talking about the swirls of porridge that accumulate to form a greyish-white parfait. **

* * *

**Gintama: Sinister Arc**

* * *

The television was loud and blaring, but it seemed to be mute. The chunks of sukonbu were sour and tasted like blatant rip-offs of armpit hair, but they seemed to be tasteless. The seat was soft and comfortable, but it seemed to be solid and rigid. To the redhead seated on the blue sofa in the Yorozuya Gin-chan's 'office', everything seemed bland and disinteresting. Even the supposedly heart-warming sight of her beloved dog wagging its tail, who had returned to her custody just a few hours ago, seemed to be a solid iron board humping the air offensively.

Her ocean blue eyes never took themselves off the moving screen, yet they did not follow the sequence of events unfolding on the electrical box either. She simply stared at it blankly, taking huge chunks from the packet of pickled seaweed in her grasp and biting the food listlessly. All she could think of were the decrepit answers she had gotten back in the Shimura household; they revolved around her mind, terrorizing her with the endless hypothesises.

"_What do you mean, find Gin-chan?" Kagura rasped as she stared at a clearly taken aback Otae. After the sadist had left, an empty silence had followed, during which the redhead had taken in the words slowly, hesitantly._ _"Why do we have to find him? Where is he?"_

_The older woman did not look comfortable with the Yato's intense gaze; she was darting furtive glances all around the traditionally Japanese room. Kagura did not back down; she continued watching her Anego intensely, waiting for the older woman to provide a reply to her rising dread._

"_Ah..." Otae said slowly. She was clearly tentative about her answer. "Ah… I wonder-"_

"_What did you mean, Anego?" Kagura persisted doggedly. She had a bad feeling about it, about the curly-haired man. Why didn't she notice it before? Alarm bells should have been set off when she had broken out of the suffocating room to see not the useless man, but the creepy sadist. Where was Gin-chan when she had suffered alone? He will never have left her behind, not when she was in a state of difficulty and loneliness. The Gin-chan she knew will never have done that._

_About damn time you awoke from your daze, China… the sadist had breathed sarcastically. I was starting to think that you had gone off the deep end and will never come back again…_

_About damn time you awoke from your daze…? Gone off the deep end…? Never come back again…? Just how long had she been trapped in that box-filled room? Just how long had she been dreaming alone? Just how long… had the curly-haired man not been by her side for? She had to know, which was why she was looking at her Anego so fiercely at the moment._

_Otae had either dodged or side-tracked her direct questions with ever-increasing obviousness, which just served to convince Kagura that there was something the older woman was attempting to hide from her. The redhead, being notoriously known for her headstrong personality and a habit of getting whatever she wanted, consensual or not; simply went along with the act, aware that she will reach the end-point soon… even if it takes up the entire day with it._

The redhead drew a nasty-looking bite-sized portion of pickled seaweed with her right hand and popped it into her open mouth. The crunches elicited exceptionally sour tastes in her mouth, yet she hardly paid attention to it.

"_Fine, fine," Otae had finally cracked under the never-ending questions of the redhead. "I suppose I could tell you… it's about Gin-san, after all…"_

Kagura's grip tightened; the half-finished packet of sukonbu seemed to suffocate in her grasp. A haunting visual flashed on the screen; her lips began to quiver, but it wasn't from the sight on the television.

"_Now, listen to me, Kagura-chan," Otae had murmured. "It isn't official or anything; in fact, he might just be holidaying in some twisted, turned-out hotel room with some ugly bitch, not that I care."_

_The older woman took a slightly deeper breath than usual. She met a particularly intense gaze across the table._

"_Gin-san… as far as I know… disappeared on his own. No notice, no warning. He just… disappeared."_

The packet of pickled seaweed seemed to sigh in weariness as it burst; sukonbu went flying into the air, landing on a mixture of the sofa, the floor and a redhead. Half-soaked in pickled seaweed, Kagura stared blankly at the television; it was telecasting a particularly nasty accident between a bull and a man, but it barely elicited a visible reaction from the redhead.

Long, empty seconds seemed to float past. The redhead continued making absent-minded gestures towards a non-existent packet of sukonbu in her hand; she scooped air and directed it into her mouth, unaware that she was swallowing air, not pickled seaweed. Just when she was biting her teeth, distinct knocks on the door erupted. The very next second, a voice laced with a classic prostitute's accent began streaming into the perimeter of the apartment.

"Gintoki…! Gintoki! Gintoki, answer me!"

O O O

Tsukuyo knocked… _hammered _on the door relentlessly. Standing on the veranda of the Yorozuya Gin-chan's apartment, she brought her fist time after time on the pitiful, brown door.

"Gintoki!" she called, 'knocking' for the umpteenth time. "Come to the door, Gintoki! You're there, aren't you?"

Unbeknownst to everyone except herself, every single knock was a representation of near despair. Every single knock was a rising dread. Above all, every single knock was a horrible fear that grew ever closer.

Gintoki, she gritted her teeth as she hammered away.

_That wavy, silver hair… that sword… no, it can't be possible… _

"Gintoki…!" Tsukuyo called urgently. "Gintoki-"

The door opened. Eyes widening, Tsukuyo started to gasp. "Gintoki-"

She held her breath. It wasn't a silver-haired man greeting her; it was a familiar redhead who looked like she had just gone for a swim in the local seaweed farm.

"Kagura…?"

O O O

Tsukuyo stepped into what was supposed to be the office when she noticed the mess of grey, dying pieces of matter on the floor. An opened packet was laid casually on the blue sofa, its interior clearly empty.

Her eyes narrowed; Kagura didn't strike her as a child who will cause such a spillage. But then, the child had not been acting normally since she had met her at the door. The redhead had seemed… distant… as she led Tsukuyo down the hallway. The pickled seaweed resting on the Yato's head and red cheongsam did not help either.

"Kagura," Tsukuyo mentioned, taking in the unkempt appearance of the entire room. How long has it been since the 'office' had experienced a proper cleaning? "What happened here?"

"What happened…?" the redhead repeated vaguely as she took slow steps towards the blue sofa. The blonde watched on as the Yato took a seat on the seaweed-infested sofa, reached for the open packet and dug a portion of… air from the said packet. "Did anything happen?"

Tsukuyo hesitated, before walking to the sofa right opposite the redhead. She emitted a dry and soft sigh of relief as she took a seat; her sofa had been conspicuously clear of any stray sukonbu. Looking up, she shot a glance at the redhead. Something was _clear _though; the Yato was definitely not herself at the very moment. However, it could be rectified at later notice. Right now, the important question was practically hanging in the air.

"Kagura," Tsukuyo voiced moderately. The redhead looked at her. "Where's Gin…"

She trailed off, eyebrows creasing. Was it just her or was the redhead sitting up straighter than before? Not to mention the distinct notion that the girl had actually stiffened at the brief mention of Gintoki…

Tsukuyo studied the Yato for a moment, before deciding to venture forward. "Kagura, where's Gintoki?"

There was no mistake about it, the blonde thought. The redhead missed her own mouth with a scoop of sukonbu… a wave of air to be exact.

"Kagura," Tsukuyo repeated cautiously. "Where's Gintoki?"

The blonde hesitated; the Yato had averted her gaze and was staring stoically at the television. Tsukuyo shot a furtive glance at the television set; it was broadcasting what seems to be an urgent news update. Had something happened in Edo? The blonde returned her attention to the redhead.

"Kagura…" Tsukuyo said softly. "I need to know where he is. I just saw a guy who looked exactly like him and I need to clarify-"

The empty packet _exploded_; the next second, a pale white face was right in front of her.

"W-What…?" the blonde stuttered as she instinctively drew back. The redhead's face was nearly pressing onto hers. "What's the matter-"

"You saw Gin-chan?" Kagura asked, her ocean blue eyes a picture of intensity. "Tsukki, did you just say that you saw Gin-chan?"

Tsukuyo bit her lips. "No… I said that I saw somebody who _looked _like him-"

"That must be him!" the redhead exclaimed loudly. Tsukuyo was taken aback by the suddenly energized girl; was her information so surprising that it could pull a half-dead girl right back from the Netherworld?

"No, Kagura… like I said… it was somebody who _looked_ like-"

"Nobody could look like Gin-chan, Tsukki!" Kagura burst, her face stretched in a wide grin. "Nobody could have such wavy hair, _nobody_!"

Tsukuyo hesitated. The redhead was acting _way _too strangely. It was as if… as if she was _exhilarated _at the news of Gintoki. Why will she be so enthusiastic about the news of a person that she was living with? Why will she be so cheerful to know that somebody else had seen the curly-haired man? The blonde narrowed her eyes; even if it might ultimately burst the girl's bubble, she was getting to the end of it.

"Did something happen to Gintoki?" Tsukuyo asked intently. "Why are you so happy to know that I saw somebody who looked like him?"

The redhead was whirling around with her purple parasol in tow; they looked like a wild couple on the dance floor. Tsukuyo smiled faintly despite herself at the girl's upbeat behaviour; it suited her far better than the gloomy, unsociable girl who had led her into the apartment earlier on.

The Yato took a breather from her dance routine; she looked at the blonde with a clear expression.

"Anego said that Gin-chan had disappeared," the redhead exclaimed earnestly. "But I knew that he will never disappear on me! He must have been out to find someone to help me, uh-huh. That must have been the case- what's wrong, Tsukki? Your face is pale."

Tsukuyo stared at the girl blankly. _Disappeared? Help? _

"What do you mean by that, Kagura?" the blonde asked urgently. "Why did Gintoki disappear? Why did you need help? What happened on the surface when I was in Yoshiwara for the past week?"

The redhead tilted her head to one side. "It's alright, Tsukki! Since you saw Gin-chan, everything's fine! Now, all that's left are those horrible murderers running around like rabbits… but it's alright. Gin-chan will capture them for sure…" she trailed off, looking at the blonde curiously. "Tsukki…?"

Tsukuyo could not concentrate; there were too many thoughts running through her head.

_That wavy hair… that sword… Hinowa… disappeared… murderers… what could it mean? What could it- no, that's impossible. There's no way that it could happen… no… I'm just thinking too much. I'm sure that it's all just a mix-up… _

"Oh yeah, Tsukki…" Kagura mentioned casually. The blonde jerked out of her daze to meet a pair of curious blue eyes. "Where did you see Gin-chan? Did you ask him to come home? Did he ask about me? Was he fine?"

Tsukuyo could not quite manage a reply; she didn't see how she could explain the entire situation without defaming Gintoki in one way or another. Tarnishing the silver-haired man's reputation in a young girl's heart was hardly her way of doing things. Nevertheless, she couldn't afford to leave the younger girl hanging; especially so when the redhead was clearly pining for an answer.

The blonde thought for a moment. "He-"

A deafening sound erupted behind the two, causing them to whirl around instinctively. What they saw caused their eyes to widen explicably.

"W-What is this…?" Tsukuyo murmured disbelievingly as she took a step back, face still directed towards the destroyed doorway of the room. "What happened-"

The demented face of a certain granny loomed in the blonde's face; a pair of empty eyes seemingly cackling in triumph, her pupils conspicuously missing amidst a sea of white.

O O O

Sougo approached the doorway, paused briefly and delivered three crisp knocks on the closed doors. "I'm here, Kondo-san."

"Come on in," a deep voice sounded out almost instantaneously. Acknowledging the instruction, Sougo slid open the brown, bamboo door before him.

"Please excuse me," the captain said courteously as he closed the door after him. Taking light steps towards the wooden table in the middle of the spacious, sparsely furnished room, he dusted himself and took a seat that was facing the commander. He subconsciously registered the soft texture of the tatami mat beneath his crossed feet.

"I have been waiting for you, Sougo," Kondo Isao said. "What's the matter?"

Sougo looked up to see a pair of curious eyes. "It's regarding the matter of Hijikata-san, Kondo-san."

As expected, the man across him visibly stiffened. Sougo did not let it deter him though; he couldn't let it deter him.

"Kondo-san," the captain ventured. "About Hijikata-san-"

"Stop, Sougo," Kondo said firmly. "Don't go there."

The captain hesitated, before noticing the other's expression. Kondo-san's face might be disapproving and stoic, but his eyes were unwavering. It was clear that he did not mean what he said, and he wanted Sougo to know that.

The captain was impassive as he gazed upon the man he respected. As expected from Kondo-san, he had not believed even a bit of the rumours that their vice-commander was actually one of the murderers. Not that he did either, despite the common belief that he would. The captain just did not have the capacity to believe that the vice-commander will actually take time from his mayo-addiction to kill other people.

Sougo cleared his throat. "Kondo-san-"

The doors opened with a snap. The captain instantly clammed up; by even _attempting _to converse about that particular topic, they could have been charged with the death sentence within the blink of an eye.

"What is it?" Kondo said loudly. "Why didn't you knock on the door-"

"Commander, Captain!" a recruit from the fifth division, Satomi Rentarou, burst at the doorway. "There's trouble!"

Sougo narrowed his eyes. "What is it?"

The recruit took a deep breath. "Koizumi Moritaka from the sixth division…"

"What about him?" Kondo asked with a tinge of urgency in his voice.

Satomi looked at them with trembling fists.

"H-He's… he's slaughtering… he's slaughtering the entire sixth division…! He's _killing_ his own comrades!"

O O O

Two masked figures clad in dark, swirling robes treaded down a narrow pathway; they took slow, tentative steps, taking special care not to brush against the drenched mud on the sides.

"Damn rain leaked in again…" Thanatos muttered darkly as he stepped clear of a pool of gooey, brown liquid on the floor. "What is it, the rainy season?"

There was no reply. Thanatos shot a glance at his companion. "Is your mind in rainy season as well? You're even more quiet than usual."

Again, there was no reply. The outspoken one gritted his teeth, barely managing to evade a particularly nasty bit of mud dangling from the roof of the tunnel-like path. "You could at least thank me, you know. I'm offering my precious time just to accompany you, after all-"

"I didn't ask you. You tagged along of your own accord."

Thanatos grinned. The other had finally consented to open his golden mouth. "About time, Azrael-"

He yelped; the hem of his attire had caught some stray mud along the way. "Damn it, these robes were brand new!"

Azrael shot him a furtive glance. "Just clean it. It's not that _dirty_."

"Like you know how to _clean _it," Thanatos retorted. "I have never even seen you cleaning your own clothes before."

"I did. It's just that you didn't see it."

"Oh, really…?" Thanatos expressed sceptically. "I must see it someday for myself, then."

They walked on in general silence, with the occasional whines and exclamations erupting here and there.

"Are we there yet…?" Thanatos asked wearily. He was practically lifting the bulk of his attire the way a girl of noble status will hitch up her long skirt. "Why does it seem so far?"

"Quit your whining. I already said- I didn't ask you to follow me."

"You should be glad that I did," Thanatos grumbled. "I wasted a set of perfectly fine robes just for you."

"Again, you could just wash it. It's not hard."

"Not _hard_? Are you kidding me? I spent hours cleaning that last set of robes the other day, all because some of that damn blood actually spurted onto my collar!"

"That's your own problem. You should- wait, why did you get stained with blood?"

"You know- I had to verify that the bastard was really dead. Who knows if he might just hop back up again and cry to everyone that he had seen a family member or lover or whatever die before his eyes and stuff like that? So, I stepped forward and tried to measure his pulse- the way those pathetic humans do it, mind you. Then this bastard had a dying fit and coughed blood all over my collar. Damn it, even that blow right through his brains did not serve to entirely ease my rage."

"Tut, tut, I told you to do it yourself. You can never trust humans to do things themselves; not even if it was committing suicide. They will probably jab their tongues or eyes when you ask them to slit their own throats."

"I will do it my own way, thank you. I'm not going to use the same elimination method as you; being twins with a guy like you is already enough for me. I will probably burst a blood vessel if I hear someone saying that we are the same… _again_."

"We are _twins_. We are the _same_. That's a fact. Believe me, I don't like it either."

"Oh hell, we are definitely not the same. I control minds; you conjure twisted shit. I elegantly ask those idiots to commit suicide; you impale them through their heads when they roll to the ground like crippled ducks. How are we the same?"

"That's just you trying to be different. You know as well as I do that you were supposed to conjure apparitions of their most loved ones killing each other; you just chose to implement visions of their loved ones dying of no reason whatsoever. I'm really surprised that someone actually fell for your crude tricks. And, I did ask you to impale them through their heads; it will make shorter work for us and them."

"T-That's preposterous! We were never the _same_!"

"Thanatos, even our partners were twins. How are we not the same?"

"T-That… arghhh, shut up, Azrael! Shut up for a minute!"

They subsided into a haughty silence, during which Thanatos was still trying to get his act together. Apparently, he failed.

"Are… we… there… yet?" Thanatos asked, gritting his teeth. "This is taking ridiculously _long_. Not to mention that the light is dimming faster than the flower in my ass crack."

The other did not reply. Thanatos clicked his teeth in impatience. "You can speak now, Azrael. Don't go all silent again."

Still, there was no reply. Thanatos was really feeling the tresses of impatience. "Azrael-"

A sudden flash of light illuminated the slight stretch of road up ahead. Thanatos looked on with a curious expression. "Have we arrived?"

This time, there was a murmur of assent.

Thanatos sighed audibly. "Thank goodness… or thank evilness, seeing as we aren't exactly good angels ourselves."

Revitalized by the approaching end-point to their never-ending journey, they took long rapid strides until they reached the exterior of a huge, steel-gilded cage. Stopping right at the edge, Thanatos took a look inside and absorbed the sights of two half-naked men with numerous red bruises across their torsos. Chained by their hands and ankles, they were pretty much immobilized.

"That's them, eh, Azrael?" Thanatos squinted, taking in the bashed up figure of the silver-haired one.

"Yeah, that's them."

Thanatos considered for a moment, before shooting a side way glance at his companion. "Did you really have to check on them _yourself_? You could just deploy a minion or something, you know. We don't exactly run the underground for nothing."

The other visibly hesitated. "You don't understand, Thanatos. I-I messed up. I shouldn't have proposed that we let these two go to the surface and kill in our places. I shouldn't have done that."

Thanatos studied his twin's profile for a moment, before sighing. "I was kidding back there, idiot. It wasn't your fault; I also agreed to it. Who knew that these two will be so clumsy and get themselves spotted?"

There was no reply. Thanatos did not bother to nudge his twin; the other was probably in some sort of a reflective state. Instead, he looked into the gaps between the steel bars and observed the silver-haired one stoically.

"Hey, you dead…?" Thanatos called through the steel bars.

There was no reply. The body hardly moved. Thanatos pursed his lips; was his captive broken already? If that was the case, it was pathetic. Despite being a human, the masked figure had a distinct expectation for him. After all, the human had actually outsmarted him. _Outsmarted _him…

Thanatos stared for a while more, before snorting. Looks like everything had been but a mere fluke.

"I thought too highly of you, human," he called disappointingly. "I should have known that you will be like them- cowardly and better off dead."

Turning around, he grunted. "Come on, Azrael, let's go."

There was no reply yet again. Irritated, he reached out a hand and gripped his twin's sleeve. "Let's _go_. We checked on them; they are dead. So let's _go_."

He began walking, but was unable to advance. He clicked his teeth as he looked over his shoulder. His twin was staring into the cage silently, stubbornly refusing to budge.

"Azrael," Thanatos gritted his teeth. "For the last time, let's _go-_"

"Go… where…?"

Thanatos went still. Slowly, he turned around to see another hand on his twin's robes. It wasn't that his twin refused to budge; his twin _could not_ budge. Thanatos gradually averted his gaze from his twin, landing it on the person standing at the very edge of the cage.

"So…" he started. It wasn't humanely possible; it might not even be possible for their kind. Yet, he did not even feel surprised that the human before him was capable of it. "You aren't dead, huh?"

"Dead…?" the silver-haired man grinned weakly as he lugged on the sleeve of Azrael doggedly. "Dead…? Are… you… kidding me…? I'm alive… more alive… than… I ever had… bastard...!

* * *

**A/N: I looked up sukonbu on the net when I was bored, and I must say, it looks like an old man's stools. Alright, I'm exaggerating, but you get the idea. I was wondering whether the anime and manga were merely making fun of the food when they said that it tasted like an old man's armpit hair; but when I googled it, I saw the most unappetizing food that I had ever seen- well, save for the sight of a monkey's brain. Now that I got the appearance marked down, I need to establish the taste of the food that Kagura likes so much. Is it really as sour as an old man's armpit sweat, or will it turn out to be as tasty as a creamy chocolate parfait? You never know, it might just be the case. After all, we have durians, which pretty much smell like an old man's 90 day old stools and taste like the fruits of heaven- according to my parents anyway. I never quite managed to down a single slice of that fruit; I was too busy choking on the smell. **


	14. Chapter 13: Grim Reaper

**Genre: Drama/Mystery**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama or any of the characters... with some possible exceptions.**

* * *

**Gintama: Sinister Arc**

* * *

A wrinkled fist drove its way into Tsukuyo's face; the blonde went crumpling to the floor in a heap. The redhead turned her head slowly, disbelievingly. "Tsukki-"

Kagura felt what seemed like a chunk of metal hit her squarely in the chest. Coughing, she barely stood her ground and slowly inclined her gaze blearily. A woman with cat ears was smirking at her; the cat-eared woman's eyes were blindingly white, her expression taut and savage.

"Cat-?" the redhead started, before holding back her words. She leapt backwards into the air just a fraction of a second before the cat-eared woman could make her mark; the incoming blow was so ferocious that the very swing itself was audible. Upon landing, Kagura grasped her parasol firmly in her right hand and stared blankly at the figures in front of her.

"Catherine, Granny," she whispered. Her left fist trembled at her side. "What _happened _to you?"

O O O

"Koizumi Moritaka?" Sougo muttered as he traversed the length of the corridors deftly. "Wasn't he the recruit who stopped an extremist from blowing up an entire factory?"

"Yes, Captain," Satomi Rentarou replied breathlessly; he was finding it hard to keep up with his captain and for that matter, his commander.

"Why will he kill his own comrades…?" Kondo wondered aloud as he sprinted by the side of his young captain. "I was even thinking of promoting his rank for that achievement-"

"Doesn't matter, Kondo-san," Sougo said darkly. The other two looked at him out of the corner of their eyes.

"As far as I'm concerned," the captain narrowed his crimson eyes. "Anyone who commits such atrocities to his own comrades doesn't deserve a promotion in rank; he deserves a stepladder – from Earth to Hell, that is."

O O O

"Let go of me," Azrael stated coldly. "You're making a foolish mistake here."

He watched on as the silver-haired human continued to tug on his robes. Azrael's eyes narrowed. "If you do not let go, you will live to regret it."

"Regret…?" the silver-haired human let out a weak, mirthless laugh. "That word… does… not… exist in my… dictionary… you piece… of shit-"

Dense red liquid spurted into the air. Azrael turned around, suddenly freed. "Let's go, Thanatos. Empress – Mother – needs us."

He began to walk back where he had come from, a whistling Thanatos at his side. "You really did it, didn't you? As cold and silent as they say; right, Grim Reaper?"

Azrael barely paid heed to his twin's jibes; he merely fixed his gaze ahead.

"Grim Reaper…?" he whispered, more to himself than to his twin. "I'm no mere grim reaper; for the Empress' sake, I'm Lucifer himself if need be."

With that, they vanished into the distance; an arm lay on the gritty floor, unaware that it had just parted company with its main body.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the extremely short chapter this time round! In fact, it can't even be called a chapter - it's more of a teaser. Honest apologies to you readers out there; I will churn out a long chapter as fast as I can!**


	15. Chapter 14: Dense, Red Liquid

**Genre: Drama/Mystery**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama or any of the characters... with some possible exceptions.**

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys! I'm glad to meet such sadistic counterparts on the net! ;)**

* * *

**Gintama: Sinister Arc**

* * *

Kagura stared blankly at the figures poised before her; her thoughts were in complete disarray.

_Catherine, Granny… what happened to you…?_

The redhead clenched her teeth and somersaulted into the air, deftly dodging a quick upper strike by the cat-eared woman. Landing on her heels, she winced and nursed her battered chest. That earlier blow had not been totally ineffective; in fact, only her Yato blood had prevented her from being incapacitated there and then. She shot a quick, concerned look at the motionless blonde on the floor before redirecting her full attention to the murderous women. Apparently, on top of gaining these really creepy white eyes that could cause a full-grown man to piss in his pants, they were now capable of near superhuman strength as well. The fact that Tsukki had been knocked unconscious by a _single _blow and the throbbing pain in her chest just goes to show the true prowess of their inhumane power.

_Woof!_

Kagura, despite herself, watched on as her beloved dog rose from the shadows and leapt towards the unwary Otose's back. Everything seemed to lapse in slow motion as the great dog's big, puppy eyes narrowed in anger and its claws extended in fury; it was plainly furious that her master had been attacked.

The redhead did not know how to react; all she knew was that she froze in place as the supposedly old and dying granny turned around in a single moment and drove her fist through the animal.

Kagura's eyes widened; her mouth gaped slowly. She slowly absorbed the sight of dense, red liquid showering the entire area, only vaguely aware that they were the blood samples of her beloved dog – Sadaharu.

The huge critter crumpled to the floor, motionless. The redhead stared on slowly, motionless. Everything seemed to cease moving right there and then.

_Sadaharu…_

"_Who died trying to save who…?" Kagura mumbled._

_The super sadist seemed to turn around; he was impassive in his stare._

"_Super Sadist," the redhead reiterated urgently. "Who died trying to save who-"_

_The creep continued to stay silent._

"_Super Sadist-"_

"_Do you really want to know…?"_

The redhead did not know what happened; the next second, she was standing in the midst of two ravaged bodies, a faint voice calling… _pleading_ for her to stop.

"Kagura," a certain blonde rasped at her shoulder. "Kagura…! Stop! I-It's enough!"

The redhead slowly turned her head; she saw a hesitant… almost_ wary_ face staring back at her.

"Tsukki…?"

"_The boss probably died to save you and you go on and on about his death... do the Yato only know how to grieve? Pathetic."_

O O O

In stark contrast to earlier assumptions, the Death God Courtesan of Yoshiwara had not, in fact, succumbed to a single blow by a weathered and one-foot-in-the-grave granny. She had simply been taken by surprise, thereafter keeling to the floor in a burst of unexplainable pain. The blow in her face had felt like a clump of metal wrapped in steel vines; it was strong, sharp and _piercing_. The sensation itself had been near intolerable; she had been tempted to cry aloud in pain. On top of that, her vision had blurred, causing her to experience difficulty in registering anything in her sight.

As a result, it took a while before she could get a proper grip of the current happenings. What was going on? Why did the kindly Otose and the vile-but-caring Catherine attack them out of the blue? Additionally, where did they acquire _such _power from?

Tsukuyo blinked; she was steadily regaining her vision. She slowly inclined her gaze, only to gasp instinctively. The great big dog that Kagura had been rearing was brutally punched by Otose; it seemed to explode, rendering the room with blood-filled messes of innards and flesh. If it had not been for her prior experiences with corpses, she would have retched there and then.

She tried to get up; the redhead wasn't going to stand a chance against the two women… not when they were so ridiculously powerful all of a sudden. Gintoki had said that Kagura could face off against fifty samurais at once and not sustain a single scratch; she had simply dismissed it as yet another tall tale by the silver-haired samurai. How could anyone be so skilled and powerful…?

Tsukuyo paused; her very breaths came in slow, disbelieving rasps. Her amethyst eyes seemed to shiver in their sockets as she took in the sheer sight unfolding before her.

"Kagura…?" she murmured disbelievingly as the Yato tore through the air with nearly… no, definite _inhumane _speed. The menacing figure of Catherine was swiftly put down by a stinging strike by the redhead, her head jerking as she submitted to the floor.

Otose tried to pounce on Kagura in the midst of it all, but the redhead merely shook her grip off, before grabbing the old lady by the shoulder and smashing her into the ground.

Tsukuyo breathed softly as the Yato began punching the faces of the bodies on the ground in turn. She thought she heard a high-pitched, almost _joyous_ laugh from the energetic figure of the redhead. The chuckle sent indescribable chills down the blonde's skin; it was almost as if the child _relished _the prospect of smashing faces in…

Her eyes widened as she caught the fleetest sight of the redhead's eyes. Instead of the usual big, endearing ocean blue eyes, the child's pupils were contracted to near slits. It lent her an almost… _maniacal _and _lunatic _disposition.

The blonde slowly got up, her eyes never pandering away from the rioting figure of Kagura. She never took her eyes away from the mutilated faces of their unexpected assaulters. She felt that if she ever took her eyes away, something will happen. She could not explain what that particular something was, but there was a horribly ominous feeling residing in her heart.

"_She's a Yato, you know", Gintoki had said almost jokingly. "She will be fine. In fact, I'm worried that she will cause trouble instead – what with her Yato blood and all."_

Tsukuyo approached the small figure from behind and gently… _fearfully _laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Kagura, stop," the blonde said softly. "I-It's enough. Please… please stop…"

O O O

Sougo heard the supposed traitor before he even saw him; there were sharp, maniacal cries streaming from the residential compound.

The captain narrowed his eyes and drew his sword from his sheath. Stepping forward, he opened the door with a swift push. "Is that the guy?" he turned around briefly to question the panting recruit.

Satomi Rentarou jerked at his captain's query; he quickly shot a look at the area beyond the door. "Yes, Captain! There's no mistake about it; that's Koizumi Moritaka!"

Sougo, without any further hesitation, leaped off the short, wooden ledge and burst toward the traitor with sharp, fluid steps. There were a few Shinsengumi officers there, evidently trying to curb the maniac's air-slicing movements from prolonging any longer. However, it seemed to be futile; they couldn't even get near enough without the risk of being decapitated by a stray swing.

"Out of the way," the captain called. The retainers reacted at his call. "I will take over from here."

"Captain…!" they bowed quickly in respect before running away from the situation. It was clear that they were less than willing to deal with such a crazy guy who had his own sword slashing everything in sight.

Sougo, standing still and stoic with his katana by his side, looked at Koizumi sharply. "So, you're the guy who goes around killing his own division?"

Slowly, the crazy brunette turned around. Sougo's eyes flickered as he registered the look on the other's taut face – the white eyes seemed to illuminate the very air with their decrepit hollowness.

"So…" the captain expressed impassively. His grip on his katana tightened. "I see that you got your... _eyes _done-"

There was a sudden blurry motion right in front of him. Crimson eyes widening, the captain raised his sword instinctively; the next second, a metallic sound reverberated around the entire compound. Sougo slowly registered that demented face staring down at him, seemingly smirking with ill-disguised satisfaction. The traitor wasn't just aiming to injure him… he was trying to _kill_.

The captain hardly caught his breath as the brunette lifted his sword and swung it in an almost invisible arc through the air. Barely parrying the unexpected consecutive blow with the back of his sword, Sougo found himself gritting his teeth as he tried to force the blow back in its own kind. It was futile; he was having trouble keeping the sword from decapitating his own head alone. The traitor seemed to possess inhumane strength that rivals… no, _transcends _the captain's own. When had the Shinsengumi recruited such a skilled swordsman? And how was he still a plain recruit? With such skills, the rank of vice-captain seems the minimum to proffer.

Koizumi snickered loudly as he withdrew his sword and poised it for an overhead cut. The captain brought his sword to meet the incoming blow, but was overwhelmed by the sheer force of the strike. Wincing, he began to sink to his knees. Sweat streamed down his face mercilessly, just like the strength that was holding him down.

Sougo could feel his strength draining away. Despite himself, he recognised the difference in skill between him and the other. It wasn't too far, but wasn't close enough to upend either. The match had already been decided right from the start; he closed his eyes as he prepared to give in to the maniacal cries of his own body.

"Sougo…!"

The captain's eyes snapped open. No, he can't die. It wasn't the time yet. If he died right there, Kondo-san will be left defenceless; nobody else could hope to spar with this ridiculously strong recruit. Well, Hijikata-san might be able to, but he was apparently being mollycoddled by a group of motherly Amantos, so it can't really be helped.

Sougo mustered all the strength in his disposal and started to push back, emitting a soft growl as he did so. Slowly but surely, the pressure on him was starting to lift; he could feel his legs again. Every single tendon of his muscles tensed, he gave one last push and knocked the traitor off his feet.

Koizumi Moritaka went recoiling backwards. He was about to lunge once again when a steel-gilded katana singed right through his neck.

Sougo sheathed his sword; a decapitated head flew into the air, before landing on the floor neatly in a messy pile of dense, red liquid.

"Sorry, Koizumi-san," the captain whispered monotonously. "I can't die… at least not right now. I've got a person to protect, and I will protect him to the very end."

With that, he turned on his heels and started walking back towards the proud and awaiting figure of his commander; a barely visible sphere of white, illuminating light drove through the air behind him, seemingly cackling to itself in anticipation.

O O O

Gintoki did not make a single comment as he treaded back to a dark, rough spot in his _sanctuary_. Neither did he make any audible cries of pain. The blood dripping from his right side barely made an impression on him; he was yawning in total indifference. Lying on his back on the cold, damp floor, he closed his eyes and started to snore.

"What… did… you do that… for…?" a gruff voice issued softly from the silver-haired man's left. "Did you know… that… you just… lost your… arm… for… nothing…?"

There was no reply; the chained figure of Hijikata Toshiro emitted an audible 'tch', before letting out a low growl. The next second, the metal bindings were forcibly snapped in half, falling to the floor as their captive was freed.

"Don't pretend to sleep, idiot," the vice-commander muttered as he sat beside the _slumbering _silver-haired man. "Nobody could possibly snore after just three seconds."

He began to pat his pockets. "Damn it, they took my cigarettes," he grunted in irritation. "Out of all the things to take from me, they took my _cigarettes_."

"Perhaps they want you to quit your smoking habit? It's not healthy for your lungs after all, Hijikata-kun."

Toshiro sighed. The first sentence he heard from his silver-haired counterpart for a few days and he was already tempted to arrest the other on the spot… if he could, anyway. "So you're finally talking, eh…?"

There was no reply, but then the vice-commander didn't expect one. Slowly, he inclined himself onto his back on the floor, staring right into the indiscernible roof of their constricted and murky cage.

"You achieve nothing by losing that arm, you know?" the vice-commander said softly. "Even without that arm, you could probably still kill off the entire capital of Edo with your left arm alone."

He paused; the silver-haired man did not reply. "You just lost an arm to wipe your butt, that's all."

There was a period of stoic silence, during which the two did not offer any further comments. They simply lazed around on the uncomfortably rough floor, staring into the backs of their eyelids monotonously. Slowly, the snores subsided.

"This might be funny, but I'm going to say it aloud anyway."

Toshiro opened his eyes fractionally. "Yeah…? What part of your life wasn't funny?"

"Funnily enough, _a lot_," the silver-haired man sighed. "It's funny, really."

The vice-commander closed his eyes again. "So…? What's it about…?"

There was a brief eruption of silence. Just when Toshiro thought that the other was trying to snore again, a drawl streamed into his ears.

"Long ago, I made this promise," Gintoki said slowly, almost sardonically. "It was _really _long ago. _Really _long… like fifty years long…"

"You weren't even born yet, idiot," the vice-commander retorted. "Get on with the main point!"

"Patience, Hijikata-kun," the silver-haired man said disapprovingly. "Patience or you're never going to have a girlfriend in the future."

"I don't see _you_ having one!"

Gintoki emitted an audible sigh. "Anyways, patience aside… yeah, it was really long ago. I made the promise with a man whose hair was as long as a terrorist you useless people have been trying to capture for centuries."

"Damn it, do you want to die…?"

"My promise to him…"

His voice took on a serious tone. Toshiro narrowed his eyes and despite himself, listened.

"I made a promise to him… to protect those that I loved and knew," Gintoki murmured. "In return, he promised to return… to continue teaching us."

He paused, before emitting a dry chuckle.

"What do you know? In the end, both of us failed to keep our promise. Both of us, who made the promise in the first place, failed to keep it. Laughable, isn't it?"

The vice-commander did not speak a word.

"Nevertheless," Gintoki continued dryly, softly. "I pretend that my promise is still valid; it gives me something to look forward to… to keep living in this world for. I pretend that my promise is still valid… so that I won't feel like my heart was burning to pieces every single day."

Toshiro stared at the sky less ceiling, his gun-metal blue eyes unwavering.

"Your promise," the vice-commander said softly. "Is your promise so important… that you could lose an arm for it…?"

There was a pregnant pause. Seconds flew through the air, undisturbed, yet Toshiro did not feel compelled to press for an answer.

"Yeah…" a reply finally came after what seemed like an eternity. "If I'm ever forced to kill somebody I know and love with my own hand, then I will prefer that I lose my own arm. It seems like a pretty fair trade, doesn't it?"

Toshiro was motionless as he stared stoically at the ceiling; slowly, he sat upright and looked at the pale figure beside him.

"Your own arm, eh…?" he breathed. He closed his eyes and gave a sigh, before pulling off his own uniform. Left in a dry fit white shirt, the vice-commander looked at the curious silver-haired man.

"Well, it looks like you are going to lose more than just your arm, judging by all the blood that's flowing onto the floor. It won't help anyone if you bleed out in this damn place, will it? Get your _stump _bandaged, idiot."

* * *

**A/N: I officially recognize the proficiency of authors who manage to churn out chapters _every single day_. I'm like, how the heck do they do that? Don't they struggle with procrastination, determination and whatevertion...? I'm finding it hard to write a proper-length chapter within the space of 4-5 days; they pen a proper-length chapter every _single _day. Kudos! You just earned my eternal respect! On another note, I feel like I'm dragging this entire story out... am I going overboard with all the excessive conversations and stuff? Am I pushing the borders with all the googly circles? Am I squeezing the parfaits with all the unnecessary fan- wait, what...? Fan service...? I don't do that kind of stuff! **


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